Gorham has 437 street lights which are currently leased from CMP at an annual cost of approximately $70,000 a year. The Town has decided to replace these with LED lights which the Town would own. It would take four to five years for the Town to recoup the cost of the LED lights, but going forward, an annual savings of at least 50%, or possibly even more, could be realized.

As an initial step, the Town will be doing an inventory and analysis of its street lights and may find that because LED lights are so much brighter, some of the existing lights are redundant. Neighboring towns such as Windham, Standish and Raymond are among the communities which are also contemplating making the transition to LED lights.

Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak said that, “because LED lights are so much brighter, this project will improve visibility for drivers and pedestrians, while ultimately, also cutting costs.”