Reality Check for Anyone Thinking of Moving to VI this Year

Are STX and STT getting new street lights now? STJ started getting them a couple of weeks ago and they are WAY over doing it. We easily have 4 times more than we did pre-storms and they are the new LED and are super bright and different color temp. I have one on each side of my house on Gifft Hill Road.... and I live in a 650 square feet shanty. I can see 8 of them while standing in my yard. Can drive to town without my headlights on. Glad to have them back, but this seems so silly to do since we don't need that kind of lighting nor can our gov. afford to pay their WAPA bill.

Yes, we have been losing power pretty frequently. Sometimes just an hour, sometimes many hours, the once a full day when we had the fire at the transfer station (I'm shocked at how quickly we got back online after that, kudos to WAPA on that one). The tripping of power messes up the internet access for a lot of stores and they can't take cards for a while. I walk with a checkbook most of the time anyway, but so so many people don't.

Good tip on the generator. I had a hard time getting ours started. Hubby ended up taking the filter off which helped me when he wasn't around. I will get some starter fluid instead 🙂

Thanks for the starter fluid explanation, Scubadoo, but I doubt very seriously that the ladies I know will attempt that. Their generators, which were given to them, sat unused for the most part.

I noticed a lot of those new super bright LED street lights on STX as early as December that were put up with the new poles and lines. At least they were well inboard from the coast so shouldn't confuse the turtles.

Be VERY CAREFUL when using starting fluid. It can cause all sorts of issues with small engines. It causes the gas to ignite at a lot higher rate than normal which in turn creates a lot higher internal pressure in engine which can warp parts etc. Short 1-2 second spurts are key.

Many generators can be retrofitted with a key start assembly fairly easily.

Really not for novices.

Properly adjusted carburetor and clean plug will be a better option.

CD

Be VERY CAREFUL when using starting fluid. It can cause all sorts of issues with small engines. It causes the gas to ignite at a lot higher rate than normal which in turn creates a lot higher internal pressure in engine which can warp parts etc. Short 1-2 second spurts are key.

Many generators can be retrofitted with a key start assembly fairly easily.

I don't think we are ever going to see the good ole night sky again with the new street lights...

There have been people on St. John who have voiced concerns about the lights. The LTRG and a couple of other nonprofits are trying to help in areas like this. I've seen a lot of "oh, it's free! let's get it whether we need it or not!" attitude going on since the storms. This is one of the things I think they should have thought about a bit more before they went ahead and did it. St. John is pretty rural and we are lit up like downtown Chicago. There are many places where there are lights now that are actually a hindrance while driving. Yesterday I counted the number of lights in a two-mile stretch, there were 42 lights. several less than 30 feet apart.

There have been people on St. John who have voiced concerns about the lights. The LTRG and a couple of other nonprofits are trying to help in areas like this. I've seen a lot of "oh, it's free! let's get it whether we need it or not!" attitude going on since the storms. This is one of the things I think they should have thought about a bit more before they went ahead and did it. St. John is pretty rural and we are lit up like downtown Chicago. There are many places where there are lights now that are actually a hindrance while driving. Yesterday I counted the number of lights in a two-mile stretch, there were 42 lights. several less than 30 feet apart.

That probably like other WAPA lights will be on in daylight and billed to govt which they won't pay......

That probably like other WAPA lights will be on in daylight and billed to govt which they won't pay......

If lights are on during the day folks need to report it to WAPA so they can replace the photoelectric switches. If WAPA doesn't maintain the switches it's on them. The lights are most likely not metered but billed based on assumed hourly usage (in the dark). I've seen lights on during the day and reported it.

Y'all can send them over to the Northside on STT!

We hardly have any street lights for crater avoidance at night. Darkness falls!

That probably like other WAPA lights will be on in daylight and billed to govt which they won't pay......

If lights are on during the day folks need to report it to WAPA so they can replace the photoelectric switches. If WAPA doesn't maintain the switches it's on them. The lights are most likely not metered but billed based on assumed hourly usage (in the dark). I've seen lights on during the day and reported it.

I reported the street lamp by Cardow in downtown St. Thomas over 6 yrs ago to WAPA, think the only reason it's not on is because of the storms.....

That is the circle of life in VI.

There have been people on St. John who have voiced concerns about the lights. The LTRG and a couple of other nonprofits are trying to help in areas like this. I've seen a lot of "oh, it's free! let's get it whether we need it or not!" attitude going on since the storms. This is one of the things I think they should have thought about a bit more before they went ahead and did it. St. John is pretty rural and we are lit up like downtown Chicago. There are many places where there are lights now that are actually a hindrance while driving. Yesterday I counted the number of lights in a two-mile stretch, there were 42 lights. several less than 30 feet apart.

That probably like other WAPA lights will be on in daylight and billed to govt which they won't pay......

That probably like other WAPA lights will be on in daylight and billed to govt which they won't pay......

If lights are on during the day folks need to report it to WAPA so they can replace the photoelectric switches. If WAPA doesn't maintain the switches it's on them. The lights are most likely not metered but billed based on assumed hourly usage (in the dark). I've seen lights on during the day and reported it.

I reported the street lamp by Cardow in downtown St. Thomas over 6 yrs ago to WAPA, think the only reason it's not on is because of the storms.....

Storms are the nature’s challenge to the habitual culture of neglect. Stand up and fight it or nothing gets changed. You all know the definition of insanity. Doin same all over again and expecting different result.

I thought they converted most of the streetlights to solar a few years ago. I don't think the street lights by me are working, but they haven't worked for years. I try to be home before dark for that reason. I can't see the dog poo in the dark. The dog poops all over all the time.

Funny how some lights can cause so much disruption. I haven't slept for crap since they went up but didn't realize they were really affecting things so much until this morning. Waking up and not being able to go back to sleep and feeling tired all the time. I've been reluctant to shade the windows because that is my airflow. Just realized that the frog symphony has moved to places deeper in the bush and away from my house. Being in a natural gut, and having tank cisterns, the frogs were always happy to be right by my house. singing away.

black out curtains with a crap load of fans or an eye mask

Funny how some lights can cause so much disruption. I haven't slept for crap since they went up but didn't realize they were really affecting things so much until this morning. Waking up and not being able to go back to sleep and feeling tired all the time. I've been reluctant to shade the windows because that is my airflow. Just realized that the frog symphony has moved to places deeper in the bush and away from my house. Being in a natural gut, and having tank cisterns, the frogs were always happy to be right by my house. singing away.

speee1dy: As she said, curtains just impede the wonderful flow of the tradewinds...

i guess you missed the rest of my comment

speee1dy: As she said, curtains just impede the wonderful flow of the tradewinds...

You're right, I only saw "blackout curtains" LOL.

I am going to give curtains a shot. I will probably have to ditch them come summer time. I don't know if I could adapt to an eye mask. I already am a pretty extreme early bird rising usually at 3am, but now I'm waking up at 1:30 or 2 and can't fall back asleep for more than a few minutes at a time. This morning a have another bright light, the moon! It's hanging out right above me. I just noticed it wasn't one of the street lights lol. Thanks for the suggestions!

Julie, curtains and rods 50% off until Monday (though they had them on sale last month, too) at store near Catholic Church in town here on STT. I asked about sunblock and they have them, but didn't ask about blackout. Don't bother going to KMart.

Home Depot "may" have curtains or blinds that will work for you.
They did have a selection when I was there last week.
I know they didn't have those vinyl roll up ones when I went. I like those to hang those on the deck to help block late afternoon sun.
Or you can order something that might work better. Meanwhile you can try pinning up something over the window to help you sleep better thru then night until you get what you like.

Good luck!

Home Depot selection not as large as Island Linen and there they hang a sample of most of the curtains. Cash and Carry in Four Winds should reopen soon and they always had a huge inventory of curtains before the storm.

Good to know.

That's usually me. Only reading parts. Lol

quote="East Ender"]
You're right, I only saw "blackout curtains" LOL.