Tuffy-Brown Dog didn’t get to socialize with any students Tuesday evening.
The 3-year-old Norwich terrier accompanied his owner, University Police Chief Linda Stump-Kurnick, to a streetlight upgrade celebration to play with students in attendance.
But there were no students — just city and university officials.
The event celebrated the installation of high-efficiency LED lighting just before the roundabout on Southwest Ninth Road, which will create a safer environment for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers after dark. But despite the homes filled with students nearby, no students came Tuesday night.
Stump-Kurnick said she brought her dog specifically for the students.
"I expected a lot more students to be here," she said. "And I know students love to see dogs because theirs are at home."
Just under 20 people gathered beneath the upgraded streetlamps to discuss the benefits of the high-efficiency lights.
Stefan Broadus, the streetlight project manager, said the project cost about $20,000. Much of the lighting has already been installed on most of Depot Avenue and Main Street, he said.
"It’s going to create better lighting, but also increased uniformity," he said. "As a runner or a biker, what you want to avoid is going from bright to dark to bright again."
The upgraded lights use about 50 percent less energy than traditional amber lighting, he said. Despite the lack of students, Mayor Ed Braddy emphasized it was a student-initiated idea.
About a year ago, he said, the commission held its first joint meeting with Student Government to hear student interests and address the relationship between the city and the university.
"It’s the university’s job to provide an education," he said to the audience.
In May, SG and the commission joined forces again on what Braddy called a walk-around. They rode in golf carts to pinpoint areas with problematic lighting, he said.
Braddy said the upgraded streetlights will have both direct and indirect effects on the community.
"Directly, students will have a greater comfort moving around this part of town, like when they’re coming home from the library," he said. "Indirectly, it will build confidence that city leaders listen to students’ problems and act on it."
Mark Rottensteiner, special projects advocate for SG, said he hopes more students will show up for the next joint meeting in early November.
"The city did this really fast, which is not easy to do," he said. "They listened to us and got it done, and that doesn’t really happen at colleges elsewhere."
Contact Brooke Baitinger at bbaitinger@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @BaitingerBrooke
