Safety lighting up and running

Starting this fall, Penn's campus will look a little brighter at night.

According to Maureen Rush, vice president for the Division of Public Safety, Penn has undertaken a project to improve lighting both on and off campus this year.

The first part of the initiative was to replace all streetlights between 40th and 43rd streets and between Market Street and Baltimore Avenue.

The first new lights went up in November and the project was completed at the beginning of the summer.

"If you live out in the neighborhood, you can't help but notice the brightness, and it's really been very effective," Rush said.

The lighting project is part of University President Amy Gutmann's $5 million initiative to combat crime in the area, announced in January.

Forty percent of the amount pledged went toward the lighting project, including $1 million that came from the Office of Facilities and Real Estate that had already been put aside for lighting improvements, which means, in effect, that only $4 million in new money was spent.

The off-campus portion involved replacing the old lights with more modern technology and was completed by PECO.

"We are basically replacing all the city street lights that are now silver poles," Rush said. "The advantage of that is that the technology -- this one is a flathead -- gives us more voltage and more illumination and will brighten up the area."

Penn has partnered with Drexel University and the University of the Sciences for the part east of 40th Street to the Schuylkill River.

The money put forward by these institutions allowed the project to be completed much faster than what would have happened had they waited for the city.

"The Streets Department didn't see us being on the list for probably another five or six years," Rush said. "The university entities decided to do this."

Lighting will also be improved on campus in the coming year.

One aspect of this project will involve extending the light currently found on Spruce Street from 34th to 38th streets all the way to 40th Street.

Rush added that there are five or six other locations in the heart of campus that will get new lighting, as well. This will include adding lightpacks on the sides of various campus buildings.

Facilities and Real Estate Services is managing the lighting improvements on campus and will continue to make changes through the fall semester.

The purpose of the lighting initiative was to reduce are crime, and according to Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey, the Penn area has seen a large drop in violent crimes over the past year, but it is impossible to say how much of an impact the lights themselves have had.

Although a major section of the project has already been completed, some students have not seen a big change in the area.

"I haven't really noticed that much of a difference, but it's always been pretty bright outside of our house," said Wharton junior Craig Lindahl, who has lived on the 4000 block of Irving Street for the past year.

Still, administrators say they are happy with the progress that has been made thus far.

"By the end of August, each of the institutions will have definite signs of light," Rush said.

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