BY MATT SCHOOLEY

After 222 street lights were shut off due to budget cuts in Bow, many of the town’s residents have spoken out against the decision.

“I think it’s kind of stupid,” said resident Jim Kelso. “It really isn’t a good decision. What’s going to come next? Are they going to shut down the playgrounds in town to save some money?”

Harvey Moody, a Grandview Road resident, was directly affected by the decision.

Moody’s home, which is just off Logging Hill Road and is within walking distance of I-89, had a street light directly in front of the yard, a luxury he no longer has.

“I miss it a lot. It’s pitch dark here at night now, and I don’t think it’s a good decision for me to leave my floodlight on all night,” he said. “It’s a bad spot to be in the dark here, because with the main roads nearby, I never know if I am going to see a hitchhiker or someone like that.”

Although he does worry about the people coming down the dark road, Moody doesn’t worry for his own safety.

“I don’t worry about the crime rates going up because of the street lights,” he said. “Besides, I have a shotgun in the house anyway.”

Not too far from Moody’s home is Deborah Moore’s Logging Hill Road property, where the street lights remain on. However, Moore supports the decision to turn off the lights.

“I am all for energy conservation, and in general I’m not too concerned about having the lights turned off,” she said. “Everybody wants everything, but nobody wants to pay for it.”

Selectman Tom Keane said nearly all of the feedback he has received has been negative.

“I have received a lot of calls and e-mails from people who really wanted to know why the lights were turned out and if alternative reductions were looked at first. I’d say from my experience it’s been about 80 percent of people who are upset,” said Keane.

“I’ve told people that the selectmen made a decision, and we encourage people to come to meetings and voice their opinions. I’ve been trying to do that since I began running. The up side to all of this is that maybe people will start showing up at meetings and letting themselves be heard.”

Despite the negative reaction in town, Keane hopes there will be some positives coming out of the decision.

“Is there a positive out of this? If people can also learn some more about energy conservation, then that is a good thing as well. Also, if we can get more public discussion about issues in town, it certainly is a good thing.”