After the streetlights on Orlando Avenue in West Akron went out for the second time this year, Tim Rogers and his dog, DJ, became the unofficial watchdog and owner duo for the area. 

Once the sun sets, residents describe nearby streets in their West Akron, Highland Square and Sherbondy Hill neighborhoods as “pitch black.” DJ, a brown-coated Cane Corso that Rogers has owned for three years, spends most of his dark nights on Rogers’ enclosed front porch, watching and protecting the residents on the block, who his owner says are mostly retired seniors. 

Besides peeking outside when DJ barks at a cat or kids walking home at night, Rogers said he has repeatedly called the City of Akron’s 311 line to report the streetlight outages. 

“The only number I knew was 311,” Rogers, 72, said. “I kept on calling them and they said, ‘We’ll put a request in to get it fixed’ and it never happened.”

During a six-month outage earlier this year, Rogers and other residents in his Ward 4 neighborhood, including Phyllis Johnson, a 77-year-old retired Summa Health System administrative secretary, asked a friend who works with the city about it and was able to get the street light fixed. This decision came after there were no responses or updates from the City of Akron or FirstEnergy’s Ohio Edison, which maintains most of the city’s streetlights. 

At the beginning of this month, the streetlight went out again. It’s been out since, leaving the neighbors with no update.

A mile and a half away, Jason Adams told Signal Akron his streetlight on South Rose Boulevard in Highland Square has been out for four months. The Akron resident of 26 years isn’t looking for conversations with FirstEnergy or possible timelines of when the streetlight will be fixed — he wants it done now. 

“The safety of our homes is at stake every night,” Adams, 50, said. “There’s a lot of elderly people that live on my street, they live alone. I am the voice of these people.”

Fannette Morris stands beneath a streetlight on Diagonal Road along the border of the West Akron and Sherbondy Hill neighborhoods. Morris said this stretch of roadway is pitch black at night because a majority, if not all, of the streetlights are not working.
Fannette Morris stands beneath a streetlight on Diagonal Road along the border of the West Akron and Sherbondy Hill neighborhoods. Morris said this stretch of roadway is pitch black at night because a majority, if not all, of the streetlights are not working. (Susan Zake / Signal Akron)

Adams said he is considering starting a petition, speaking during a City Council meeting or stopping payments on the special assessment residents pay for that covers street cleaning and street lighting, in order to get some results. 

In Sherbondy Hill, along Diagonal Road, Fannette Morris said she has noticed streetlights where the lanterns are covered by overgrown branches from trees. She said she reported the overgrowth but was redirected to companies outside the city.

“Every time I would call about Copley Road, all they would do is shift the blame,” Morris, 64, said. “It goes from the trees need to be trimmed back to there’s no lights over here, and they play the blame game between one another as far as cutting the trees and the actual lights.”

“That was a flag raised a couple of years ago.”

Council member seeks streetlight repair plan

The issue of streetlights across Akron being out for a lengthy period of time is not new. After years of complaints from her constituents about streetlights not working across Ward 4’s neighborhoods, City Council Member Jan Davis sent a letter on Monday to city officials and several fellow council members requesting an actionable plan to fix the city’s streetlights. 

Davis included a list of requests in the letter that starts with the city’s Public Service, Public Utilities and Green Committee taking an active role. It also asks that the City of Akron administration help to establish a timeline on when the lights would be fixed.

Signal background

Other requests Davis made include that:

  • The Public Service, Public Utilities and Green Committee undertake a formal review of the streetlight situation at an upcoming meeting.
  • Appropriate FirstEnergy executives and operations representatives be invited to appear before the committee to address the ongoing outages, explain the delays in repairs and identify the steps necessary to correct the problems.
  • FirstEnergy provides an assessment of widespread streetlight outages, particularly those affecting entire blocks and neighborhoods. This would include the length of time the outages have remained unresolved.
  • FirstEnergy develops and provides a documented corrective action plan with specific timelines, repair priorities and measurable progress toward restoring street lighting.
  • The City of Akron administration actively advocate for the resolution of these concerns and work collaboratively with FirstEnergy and City Council to ensure that residents receive the attention and services they deserve.
  • That a process be established for regular updates to City Council regarding outstanding streetlight complaints, completed repairs and anticipated resolution dates.

Davis said she plans to raise the matter during the Oct. 19 City Council meeting. 

Residents will have the opportunity to attend a neighborhood meeting Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Canyon Trail Park in Merriman Hills to speak up about streetlight outages. Ahead of the meeting, Ward 1 City Council Member Fran Wilson requests that residents share records of outages at their homes by emailing them to Ward1@akronohio.gov and putting PALISADES-OUTAGE RECORDS and the home’s address.
Residents will have the opportunity to attend a neighborhood meeting Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 5:30 p.m. at Canyon Trail Park in Merriman Hills to speak up about streetlight outages. Ahead of the meeting, Ward 1 City Council Member Fran Wilson requests that residents share records of outages at their homes by emailing them to Ward1@akronohio.go and putting PALISADES-OUTAGE RECORDS and the home’s address.

Streetlight outages persist, spread across the city

Resident will have the opportunity to attend a neighborhood meeting Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 5:30 p.m. at Canyon Trail Park in Merriman Hills to speak up about streetlight outages. Ahead of the meeting, Ward 1 City Council Member Fran Wilson requests that residents share records of outages at their homes by emailing them to Ward1@akronohio.gov and putting PALISADES-OUTAGE RECORDS and the home’s address.

Wilson said residents are sharing their concerns, including from a constituent  who has been experiencing outages since they moved in 10 years ago.

“I’m beyond the point of asking questions and waiting for answers,” Wilson said. “I think a lot of neighbors are” in the Merriman Palisades neighborhood.

Community and Service Reporter (she/her)
Kelsei centers arts and culture, food and identity in her storytelling. She uses her professional experience and editorial skills to focus a community-first mindset and a strategic approach to her reporting. Kelsei’s previous reporting experiences include food, community and culture coverage at 225 Magazine in her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Kelsei is a recent alumna of Northwestern University and a 2023 graduate of Jackson State University.