A group of boy scouts helped bring light to a Danville Township. On Wednesday, August 17, Dalton Rolinitis and three other Boy Scouts from Troop 234 installed solar panels along a series of utility poles along Illinois Route 1’s east side.
Rolinitis, 16, thought of the project back in May as a part of his final step to becoming an Eagle Scout. A high school sophomore, Rolinitis often bikes between Home Gardens and Westville on a mile-long sidewalk between Lete Lane and Lyons Road along Illinois Route 1. The stretch of road is incredibly dark, the lights having been removed years ago.
According to Commercial News, the power poles that were placed along the road were torn away by an F2 tornado in 2013.
“Ameren replaced most of the poles,” reports Commercial News, “but not the lights.”
Without the street lights, the stretch of land was extremely dangerous for those who walk, jog, or bike between Westville and Home Gardens. Pedestrians were at risk of being hit by passing motorists and other pedestrians have been injured after colliding with one another.
Rolinitis and his friends aren’t the only aspiring Eagle Scouts who have embraced green energy. The Boy Scouts of America have become far more eco-friendly over the years, and the group encourages learning about conservation and the human impact on the environment.
Most Americans are aware that fluorescent light bulbs are five times more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs. However, LED lights are considered to be more eco-friendly than fluorescents because of their lack of mercury.
Rolinitis chose to use the latter for his project, opting to use LED lights powered by solar panels as an eco-friendly and inexpensive way to provide the township’s joggers with the light they need.
The lights, 18 in total, cost the township only $306. With the help of fellow scouts Donnie McMasters, Kenny Clarkston, and Kacy Clarkston, the boys attached the 5″x8″ lights to blocks of wood before attaching them to the utility poles 12 feet off the ground. While the light is dim, it brightens as a pedestrian or motorist approaches, and the light will stay on in the dark for up to eight hours.
Should any of the lights break in the future, the township will replace them. For now, the lights will be maintained by the Rolinitis family.
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