MYSTERY SOLVED: Purpose of poles popping up in SE Michigan explained
This mysterious black pole was installed at Canton’s Barchester Park on Wednesday, Aug. 9.
Those black, futuristic-looking, 30-foot-high poles popping up in parks and on government-owned properties across southeast Michigan are not mini-cell towers, alien-planted spy mechanisms or — as one social media user quipped — Festivus poles.
They are solar-powered security-lighting devices that — once activated — will illuminate the area around which they are placed once the sun goes down.
The poles are becoming fixtures in several communities across the United States due to their cost-effectiveness and safety-enhancing properties.
Three of the poles have been installed throughout Canton Township at Freedom Park, Barchester Park and near the Summit on the Park.
Controllable brightness
“The brightness is easily controlled, so we can ensure there is little to no impact on neighbors,” Canton Township Director of Leisure Services Greg Hohenberger explained on a recent social-media post.
When asked if specific incidents at or near the locations of the solar-powered poles created the need for the poles at the sites they’ve been installed, Hohenberger replied, “Nothing specific”.
“But it has been a desire for quite some time for security lighting at these locations,” he elaborated. “Power has been the issue.”
So, if you were hoping your cellphone service would improve once the black poles become functional, you’re out of luck. But you can rest assured the light they emit will make the area around them safer to some degree.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
