Portsmouth Neighborhood Lit Up Over Tiverton Boatyard’s Light Pollution

Lee McGaw has lived on Cliff Ave in Portsmouth, Rhode Island since 1957. Her property sits right on the Sakonnet River, with views of the waterfront and bridge. For decades, one of her favorite things to do was gazing out her window at the stars.

That changed two years ago. The 90-year-old said that's when Safe Harbor Boatyard installed three giant floodlights bright enough to make Fenway Park jealous. Just like that, her cherished view was gone.

"I can't even see the stars anymore. The lights overpower them!" she said.

Instead, she feels like she’s onstage in her own home, with the bright lights piercing through the darkness and flooding her living room and bedroom.

"I've lived here nearly 70 years, and I had never closed the drapes in my bedroom – until those floodlights went on," she said.

Many Portsmouth Homes Affected by Extreme Lighting

McGaw said she’s one of about 18 homeowners on her street facing the same issue.

"I walked over there and tried talking with them at the boatyard. I was never able to speak with the manager," she said. "The workers were nice, but they couldn’t help. The manager never got back to me. I've called and called, but he never calls back."

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Joyce and Peter Brennan, also residents of Cliff Ave, are beyond frustrated by the light pollution.

"Honestly, the pictures don’t do it justice. These three spotlights are insanely powerful," Joyce Brennan said.

She, like McGaw, questions why the floodlights are aimed over the water.

"If the goal is to protect the dry-docked boats around their building, the lights aren’t doing a good job. They’re pointed away from the boats and into the river," she said.

Sick of Being Ignored by Safe Harbor

The Brennans, McGaw, and several other neighbors are so frustrated by being ignored by Safe Harbor that they have begun documenting the calls they've made to Jim Palmeiri, the Safe Harbor general manager.

"There’s just complete disregard," she said. "They are not being good neighbors, which is so disappointing. Returning a phone call doesn’t cost anything; it’s just courteous. Sometimes, simply acknowledging someone can make a difference."

The neighborhood is in the process of filing a formal complaint with the Town of Tiverton.

Fun 107 placed three calls to Mr. Palmeiri and Safe Harbor over the past seven days. None were returned before publication.