Main Street Enhancement - Milton
Milton Village takes great pride in its historic Main Street, preserving
its centuries-old mills, homes, and landscaping that attest to the
town’s rich past. In fact, the area between East Road and
the River Street intersection is listed in the National Register
Historic District.
When Milton received the VTrans Enhancement Program’s Main
Street and Old Village Core Historic Lighting Enhancement Grant
in 2002, Trudell Consulting Engineers (TCE) was selected to create
the lighting design for the town. Main Street, School Street, River
Street, and Cherry Street were all lined with cobra-headed fixtures
that emitted light from high-pressure sodium lamps mounted on utility
poles at a height of thirty feet. While the lamps proved to be functional,
they detracted from the historic beauty of the Town with their industrial
appearance.
River Street provided additional challenges with pre-existing commercial
lighting and signage. TCE’s goal was to create a lighting
design that combined the functionality and purpose of streetlights,
while maintaining, and even enhancing, the small-town aesthetics
that the Town of Milton prides itself in. It was vital that the
lighting provide a safe luminosity, without intruding upon the residents’
homes, and remain unobtrusive during daylight hours.
TCE worked closely with residents of Milton to establish which
lighting would best suit the town. The firm implemented test installations
of lamps chosen for their durability, ease to maintain, and efficiency,
to allow the Town to determine the most favorable lighting, fixtures,
and lamp height. Additionally, TCE determined the best locations
for lighting in relation to existing trees, vegetation, and the
street improvements that were occurring simultaneously. To uncover
Milton’s lighting needs, a series of meetings were held with
both residents and town officials, and a survey was conducted to
help conclude which lighting systems were most appropriate.
TCE committed significant hours to research, reconnaissance, base
plans, conceptual plans, reports, and photometric lighting analyses.
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