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CHEEKTOWAGA
Solar lights die as sunless days persist
By BARBARA O'BRIEN
News Southtowns Bureau
1/6/2006
Don't tell Ken Sponholz that the lack of sunlight isn't responsible for the solar lights on Gary Lane going out.

All he had to do is look at the sky the past 13 days, and see clouds, but no sun to charge the solar batteries.

Buffalo has broken the record for sunless days, and streets with solar lights in Cheektowaga are going black. Sponholz and others think the two are related.

"I don't believe that's the reason, but I don't know," said Supervisor Dennis H. Gabryszak.

The solar lights were touted as energy saving boons when they were installed as a pilot program in 2003. The town planned to replace 498 gas powered lights on 40 streets with the solar lights as part of an energy performance contract with Johnson Controls.
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