CLEVELAND, Ohio — Last month, we told you all about residents' frustrations over several broken and malfunctioning streetlights in downtown Cleveland.
"All out. Cold. Dead," Robert S. Carillio previously told News 5.
Since our last report, Cleveland Public Power has repaired every broken light.
However, residents say while this initial batch is good to go, there are more that need to be fixed across town.
"I feel a little bit better," Carillio said.
Carillio is now seeing a bit clearer outside of Cleveland City Hall.
The once burnt-out streetlights up and down Lakeside Avenue are now shining bright overhead.
"I think that the attention put in the spotlight about the issue prompted some response. And it was pretty immediate," Carillio said.
The longtime Clevelander says he has a new perspective when he drives around downtown - as the lights are back on and he is working at virtually every single location, he initially reported to us.
"What do you do when you feel like have no other re-course? That's why I went to the news," Carillio said.
Carillio contacted News 5 back in February.
He said he was aiming to address the lack of working streetlights and malfunctioning ones across town.
"They're flickering, up and down, looks like you're in a dance club sometimes," Carillio previously said.
Carillio said he was losing patience after reporting outages to Cleveland Public Power and the city—alleging they never fixed any problem spots.
The locations he reported were high traffic areas like the Federal Building, behind Tower City, on Lakeside by the Hilton Hotel, and right in front of City Hall.
Drivers could barely see pedestrians crossing the street during the workday due to the lack of working lights.
"It's definitely a safety issue because when you're in a high density area with a lot of traffic—you really can't see things," Carillio said.
News 5 contacted both the city of Cleveland and Cleveland Public Power back on February 14.
A spokesperson with CPP handled our request and released the following statement:
"CPP crews are currently troubleshooting underground lighting circuit issues downtown, repairing equipment, and replacing cable. CPP expects to have these lights back on soon and repair the majority of street light outages within 30 days."
Within 30 days, every single problem spot we identified was fixed, just in time for NCAA Men's March Madness games, St. Patrick's Day Parade and other events.
"I think Channel 5 does a very good job on this issue and quality of life issues in general," Carillio said.
While these lights have been fixed, Carillio came to us with a new list of burnt-out lights.
This includes a light in the middle of the building on Cleveland City Hall, the Main Avenue Bridge, the Veterans Memorial Bridge, the tunnel from Lake Avenue up the Shore Way and Euclid Avenue down the middle of the road - from Public Square to Playhouse Square.
So, we contacted Cleveland Public Power again, and they sent us the same prior statement.
"CPP crews are currently troubleshooting underground lighting circuit issues downtown, repairing equipment, and replacing cable. CPP expects to have these lights back on soon and repair the majority of street light outages within 30 days."
"Unfortunately, I don't think it should take this to get attention to it, but sometimes it does. And if it prompts action on it, then that's a good thing. We're happy to help. Trying to get you results. I appreciate it," Carillio said.
News 5 will continue following through on the status of repairs and update you as they are fixed.
