ELLSWORTH – A few Ellsworth residents told the city council Monday night that they felt left in the dark.

And they want the city council to do something about it.

Several people spoke during the meeting about the removal of a streetlight from the Christian Ridge Road earlier this year. They said they wanted the light replaced for both driving safety and security reasons.

The light was removed when repairs were made to improve the safety of the road.

At the time of the repairs, Councilor Gary Fortier, who also serves on the streetlight committee, learned that one of the streetlights would have to be moved in order for the work to be conducted.

The light in question was situated over the property of a private citizen, and Fortier said that Bangor Hydro Electric Co. couldn’t remove the light without first getting an easement from the property owner.

The property owner, Fortier said, offered to grant the easement immediately – preventing a delay in the repairs – so long as the streetlight was never to be reinstalled.

Fortier said he also knew that the streetlight wasn’t in compliance with city ordinances, and agreed to the light’s removal. Normally the removal of a streetlight can only be ordered after a public hearing and a majority vote of the city council.

Fortier told those present at the meeting Monday that he acted without the approval of the full city council when he agreed that the light should be taken down and never replaced.

But he added that he was charged with determining where there were excess streetlights in the city in order to save taxpayer money.

A single streetlight, Fortier said, costs between $175 and $200 per year to operate, and he estimates there are roughly 60 streetlights in Ellsworth that need to come down. He also added that there are many excess streetlights in the neighborhoods of former city councilors that will also need to be removed. Fortier said he hopes to issue a full report by February of all the streetlights he says need to be removed.

Patricia Higgins, who said she lives alone on the Christian Ridge Road, told the city council that she has always relied on the light to provide security for her. Without the light,

Higgins said, she can’t determine if there is anyone in her yard. Others said the light is necessary in order to leave driveways with poor lines of sight.

A handful of councilors expressed concern over Fortier’s removal of the light without the full approval of the city council. Yet many of them added that there wasn’t much they could do about the matter now.

“I don’t think you’re being picked on too much,” Councilor Loren Clarke told Fortier. Clarke added that while he sympathized with the concerns of the residents of the Christian Ridge Road, there will be others with similar concerns as the city council begins to remove street lights.

Councilor John Phillips suggested that because the light was removed without authorization it should be replaced – even if it was only to be removed in a few months time anyway.

“If I’ve done something in error,” Fortier said, “put [the light] back on until January or February.”

Eventually the council opted to table the matter. Setting it aside, many of the councilors said, meant that they would consider the issue after they had a chance to hear similar concerns from other residents who were also losing street lights.

In other business:

. Timothy King, city manager, reported that the dredging of the Union River won’t go ahead as planned, as the contractor’s equipment is still being used on a project in Massachusetts. That may tie up the city’s work until next winter, King said, depending on when the Army Corps of Engineers can complete the first phase of the project.

. The city council adopted a resolution recognizing the work of Fern Kelley, Ellsworth’s city clerk for the last 32 years. Kelley will retire at year’s end. A meeting room in City Hall was also dedicated in her name as part of the ceremony.

. Awarded Lt. Harold Page of the police department with a certificate of appreciation for 20 years of service to the city.