Preserving Our Town/Your Town

[Charlotte Thompson <ct@UMD5.UMD.EDU>]

Ever been to Harpers Ferry, WV?  It is a beautiful historic town located
in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia at the confluence of the
Potomac and Shenandoah rivers.  John Brown led his raiders here, and it
seems every famous person that ever lived slept here, including George
Washington and all of his brothers.  Thomas Jefferson was here and
visited a gorgeous site that overlooks the rivers and the gap in the
mountains.  Of course Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and other civil
war generals passed by. One of my favorite visitors was Mark Twain.  (You
get the picture.)
The National Park Service owns most of the property in
the lower town, but the 400 residents that make up the rest of the town
are responsible for maintaining the town's historic character.
I am on the historic landmarks commission and we are
currently in the middle of a preservation battle.  The utility company
that services our community is going to replace the favored incandescent
street lights w/ "pie
plate" reflectors, that adequately illuminate our streets, with a cobra
head 70 watt high pressure sodium fixture (the same ones that light huge
mall parking lots).  We think a compromise might be to have a bulb with a
lower wattage -35 to 50 watts- but Potomac Edison tells us this does not
meet the "standards".  I can't imagine that the same standards for safety
and liability apply to shopping malls and small historic towns but the
utility company makes no distinction.

Can you suggest other towns that have had a similar experience?  Do
you know of a listserv or historic preservation group or individual that
I might contact?
Thank you for taking the time to read this and thanks in advance for any
help you might be able to offer.

Charlotte Thompson
ct@um5.umd.edu