The cute little house sits at the corner of two roads. Tucked off the street, the back-yard flows into the woods. Surrounded by tall trees, a path in the back is now lined with daffodils.
“It’s nice yeah, real quiet,” said Janie Robbins.
The corner lot is almost secluded and at night, it’s tough to see the home from the street unless the moon is bright.
The old neighborhood only has a few lights up and down the street, and none were near Robbins' home.
Then a few weeks ago, Robbins was watching TV in the basement when she came upstairs and noticed her dining area was bright.
“I thought I left a light on at first,” said Robbins.
What she would quickly realize is that the light was outside - on a light pole - right next to her property.
“It’s bright, like daylight, shining in my house,” said Robbins.
Confused about where the light came from and why it was put up, Robbins made a few calls but couldn’t seem to get any answers.
“I was getting the run-around from everyone,” she said.
Robbins would eventually learn the light was installed by Duke Energy at the request of a neighbor. Duke Energy will install lights for customers as long as they pay the installation and electricity bill associated with the light.
“Yes, he pays for it, but I don’t want it,” said Robbins.
The policy of installing a light at the request of one neighbor when others may not want it can certainly be debated, but that is Duke Energy’s policy. The neighbor wants the light for safety reasons and to light up an area that is dark and may be inviting to criminals.
The debate about installing a light that one person wants but others may not is best left for another day, but the baffling part for Robbins is where the light is installed, “I don’t get it, I don’t get it,” said Robbins.
The light was put on a pole inches from Robbins' property while the family that requested the light lives 40 to 50 feet away on the other side of the street.
“I called (Duke) back to complain and they said I need to get a lawyer,” said Robbins.
Instead of calling an attorney, Robbins reached out to WFMY News 2 about getting the light removed or moved. We contacted Duke Energy to see if anything could be done and were told it is a civil matter and that the two neighbors needed to work it out.
We then followed up with a series of questions related to the location of the light and the specifics related to the location of the pole. We asked Duke Energy to explain why the light was put on the opposite side of the street from the neighbor who called to have it put up.
The next day we received an email from Duke Energy informing us that an engineer went back to the area and identified where the “issue” light was located. In the process, a conversation was had with the neighbor and a decision was made to move the light.
A spokesperson for Duke Energy told us a “work order” has been placed to move the light to a soon-to-be-installed pole on the side of the street in front of the neighbor’s home.
“I got the light taken down,” said Robbins as she danced side to side.
The new light may take a few weeks to be installed, but Robbins is just happy she can now sleep at night without a light shining through her bedroom window.
As for the neighbors who asked for the light be installed - no one, including Robbins, is denying they have a right to have a light put up if they want it - Robbins just didn’t want Duke Energy to put it up right in front of her house.