Capital University students are becoming increasingly concerned that the lighting on Sheridan Avenue is too limited.
A considerable number of students reside in Sheridan houses, and even those who don’t live there have likely walked down Sheridan at one time or another. For those who have traversed Sheridan late at night, the experience may have proved frightening.
Students have voiced concerns to the University regarding what they see as a lack of adequate lighting on Sheridan and the way that problem affects their safety.
However, the lights along the street do not fall under the authority of the university, but are rather the responsibility of the city of Bexley.
The Capital University Department of Facilities Management is responsible for the maintenance of all university-owned housing on Sheridan, which gives them authority over porch and garage lights only.
“Safety is certainly [Facilities Management’s] biggest concern,” said Beth Anne Carman, Director of the Office of Facilities Management. “As part of our campus lighting upgrade, we will be switching out all the porch lights on [Sheridan] houses with LEDs. The switches will also be rewired to turn on from dusk to dawn.”
LED lights have further spread and less resistance making them both more effective and more energy efficient.
Still, upgraded porch lights may not provide enough light to satisfy students who frequently travel down Sheridan after dark.
The actual street lights on Sheridan, and any upgrades or additional lights, would be the responsibility of the city of Bexley.
“[The lights] issue is important to address,” said Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler. “When compared to other streets, [Sheridan] feels very similar, but the difference is it’s a major route going to the places like The Zig or Peking Dynasty. And it’s a late night route.”
Many Capital students do travel down Sheridan late at night, both on foot and via automobiles. Yet, the street’s lighting is more comparable to a much less traveled residential street, such as Francis Avenue, or the eastern stretches of Mound Street.
“Street lights are designed primarily for vehicular safety,” said Bill Dorman, City of Bexley Service Director. “[Street lights] are typically alternating, and spaced close enough together to prevent dark areas, but far enough not to bleed into one another.”
The lights on Sheridan, however, leave considerable sections of dark space on both the sidewalks and the street itself.
“The other issue with Sheridan … is you have some more mature trees,” said Dorman. “That gives a feeling that it is darker in some areas more than others. I’d be interested in seeing how perceptions change in the winter, when there aren’t leaves on the trees.”
Of course, that would only provide a temporary solution, as the resulting dark areas would return in the spring along with the leaves.
Mayor Kessler is willing to address this issue more immediately.
“There are a couple things we can do right off the bat,” said Kessler. “First off, we can have our tree department trim some of the larger trees. And then we can do an actual study of the lights, to see what can be added or upgraded.”
For some students, however, waiting around for the city to conduct a photometric study is not a realistic option.
“A lot of [students] are concerned about the lack of lighting on Sheridan,” said Sarah Nist, co-founder of It’s Abuse. “[Sheridan] is an important route for students, and more lights would definitely be beneficial.”
It’s Abuse is student organization that spreads awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence issues on campus.
“It’s the perfect place for crime to happen at night,” said Rachel Comi, It’s Abuse co-founder. “Students might be walking down Sheridan alone and drunk at 2:00 a.m. in a very dark place.”
It’s Abuse has taken a particular interest in the lighting on Sheridan, and any students who are passionate about this issue are welcome to contact Nist (snist@capital.edu) or Comi (rcomi@capital.edu).
“Your senses are hindered already by a number of things, let’s not throw darkness into that,” said Nist.
Lighting is in fact critical for crime prevention. Better lighting improves visibility, and subsequently makes committing most crimes more difficult.
“A few years back, when we replaced the lights in the S1 and S2 lots, crime dropped dramatically. [Crimes] like car break-ins, property damage, and theft,” said Public Safety Chief Frank Fernandez. “But it was a struggle to improve those lights. We had to work with the city a long time to get [the upgrade].”
The City of Bexley and its residents are consistently concerned with how much light Capital University emits. Sheridan is a residential street, and a balance must be reached between providing enough light for students and not disturbing residents.
“When installing street lights, [engineers] try to avoid bleed in on the residential side,” said Dorman. “You don’t want [the light] to come in people’s windows.”
The process of improving the lighting on Sheridan may prove long and difficult. Many Bexley residents actively opposed the university’s decision to add lights to Bernlohr Stadium, and a similar fight could occur over Sheridan.
In the meantime, student concerns for their safety can still be addressed.
“There are other ways to improve your safety in off-campus areas,” said Fernandez. “Walk in pairs, or groups, and be aware of your surroundings. We, [Public Safety], also offer police escorts for students and faculty when it’s late at night.”
Students and faculty can call 614-236-6666 to request a police escort from public safety. Students can find additional safety information at www.capital.edu/Safety.
Students can also report damages and malfunctions of university and non-university property, such as dim or burned out lights to public safety through a work request available online. If the issue is with equipment not owned by Capital, the report will be passed on to the proper authority in Bexley.
The city of Bexley has recently launched a new app, Bexley Base, that residents can use to report maintenance issues, along with pictures, directly to the city’s service department. The app is available for iOS and Android. Alternatively, it can be accessed online at www.bexley.org/base.
