ELYRIA, Ohio — A News 5 viewer reached out in hopes of shedding light on an issue in his Elyria neighborhood.
In an email, he shared a list of 10 different streetlights out or flickering in the Greenfield Estates subdivision, some of which he said had been in need of repairs since October.
“Here we are in in the middle of June and the issue in my neighborhood is even worse, as more lights are either flickering or are completely out,” the email said. “Not having proper lights out, especially during the summer months, is making our community vulnerable to crime.”
Our overnight news tracker confirmed the lights on the viewer’s list were still out on Thursday night.
On Friday, other neighbors in the same area shared similar concerns.
“If I’m revamping my home, making it look beautiful, I wanted our entrance done too, as well as the streetlights and the lighting. It should be done. It’s very important. You beautify the neighbor, make it safer,” said Sam Yovan.
He pointed out two streetlights on his cul-de-sac that have been out for months.
“I’ve called the city, they told me to call Ohio Edison. I called Ohio Edison, they said the ticket’s there, they’re just waiting to get crews out there. So it’s a long wait,” Yovan said.
He echoed worries about safety in the neighborhood without proper lighting.
“I mean, thieves don’t usually come into well-lit neighborhoods with streetlights. If it’s darker, of course [they do],” he said.
Elyria Mayor Kevin Brubaker said after fielding numerous resident complaints about streetlight outages, his safety service director enlisted the city’s sanitation workers to audit all lights in February.
The crews found 513 lights in need of repair, most of which are the responsibility of Ohio Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy.
“We put together a form and sent it over to our contact at First Energy to say, ‘Here’s the list, get them fixed,’” said Brubaker. “There are lights out in my neighborhood, four of them, that are on the list that have not been changed out as well.”
He said the city has been working with the company to make repairs, while continuing to field neighbor reports about unlit streets.
“Having these lights operating and operating efficiently for the safety is going to be a priority and is a priority of ours,” said Brubaker.
News 5 also reached out to First Energy for a status update on repairs. The company said it has already fixed about 325 of the streetlights that were reported out.
In a statement, a spokesperson said some of the more complex repairs require additional time to plan and fix. Additionally, the company said many of its repair crews have been focused on fixing utility lines damaged during recent severe weather.
“We understand the importance of reliable lighting and appreciate the patience of Elyria residents as this work continues. Our teams are focused on completing the remaining repairs safely and as efficiently as possible while we continue our close coordination with the city,” the statement said in part.
Yovan said he hopes to see improvements soon.
“You have to have a safe neighborhood. You have to feel safe with your surroundings, your neighbors. So it’s very important to me,” he said.
This story was the result of a viewer tip.
If you have story ideas in Lorain County, contact Lorain County reporter Catherine Ross at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
Catherine Ross is the Lorain County reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @CatherineRossTV, on Facebook CatherineRossTV or email her at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
