Mackinac Island and St. Ignace are facing a decision about what kind of lighting technology to choose for their downtown areas, and are gathering information from companies about options that are available, including incandescent, compact fluorescent, and LED lighting. At Mackinac Island, the city wants to replace 100 streetlights and is asking citizens to opine on the sample lights displayed downtown. In St. Ignace, new lighting is being considered for Wawatam Park.

Along with the light-emitting diode (LED) light post near the corner of Main Street and Market Street on Mackinac Island, two other kinds of streetlights will be set up for viewing.

LED technology is reported to use 25% less energy than other lights, and is reported to last longer, providing less maintenance and saving municipalities money in the long run, the City of Mackinac Island has been told.

Three companies will erect lights on the Island for public consideration.

Carrier and Gable installed the first LED light last month, and another LED light, from Robert Shaver Company of Grand Rapids, will be installed nearby. It will be mounted on a post manufactured by W. J. Whatley Inc. of Denver, Colorado.

The city is replacing five of its incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs on the south side of the street between the Arnold Transit dock and the Taxi Stand.

Shaver representatives, who met with the city's street committee Thursday, September 18, say their LED lights, unlike those from Carrier and Gable, are hidden from view, reflected with mirrors to direct light down to the street, which, they say, reduces glare and light noise while providing more lighting on the ground. The Carrier and Gable light is distinguishable by its polkadot appearance at night.

Shaver Company is also presenting LED options to the City of St. Ignace, said Deb Evashevski, director of the St. Ignace Downtown Development Authority (DDA).

The DDA, which is planning as many as 100 light posts in the city, including at its revamped Wawatam Park, is expecting to meet with the company again Friday, October 10.

John Chrisman, a summer Island resident and representative of GE Illumination of Hickory Corners, warned City Council at its meeting August 27 to hold off on replacing its lights with LED technology, stating that the city is coming in on the "very, very front of LED technology," and needs to research more options rather than making hasty decisions.

Mackinac Island Mayor Margaret Doud's assistant, Kelly Bean, said as more companies approach the city with information about alternative lights, Council is asking the public to decide which type of lighting it prefers.

"We're torn," she said, "so we're letting the people decide what they think is best."

The new downtown lights, she said, are not permanent fixtures.

"We've been getting some calls, and even letters to the editor, about these lights possibly being permanently there, which is not the case," said Ms. Bean. "It's merely there on a temporary basis to allow people to see the difference in lighting, from what we have now to what we could get."

Council is also looking at pole and globe designs that will compliment Mackinac Island's historic theme.

"Right now, we want people to focus on the lighting part of it, how it lights up the area," Ms. Bean said. "Once we choose what kind of lighting system we want, we'll then focus more on the design of the light post."

Most of the display lights will be kept in place through October.