Vandalism on Connective Corridor shows lack of foresight on officials’ part

Connective Corridor officials did not plan well when they installed expensive, waist-high lights.

The lights are breakable, as 19 of 43 lights on University Avenue have already been damaged or broken. The lights’ heights and proximity to campus also make them an easy target.

Though students and other community members should not commit acts of vandalism, the lights, as installed, provide easy targets for vandals. Sometimes people are out late at night, and they could be intoxicated and may break the law.

It happens. Officials know this and should have planned ahead.

Officials plan on repairing the current lights. Each light cost $1,100 initially, plus labor. The expense to fix them will not be as high, but it will still be an expensive repair. Unless action is taken to prevent vandalism, it will be a constant cost for Connective Corridor officials to upkeep.

One suggestion is that officials cut their losses now: Uninstall all the lights, try to find a way to repurpose or reuse them and invest in lights that will be less susceptible to vandalism. While this would fix the problem, it may not be the most attractive solution to officials.

Another solution would be to design a metal cage or fixture to cover the bulb. The overall design of the lights is industrial, and a practical but aesthetic covering could be designed at a lower cost. This way, the lights would still serve their purpose, would be able to stay at the current height and would be harder to break.

This incident signals poor planning by officials. They should have taken the height and placement of the lights into consideration before installing them. But there are ways to prevent the problem from continuing.