Representatives from the Waycross City Governmental departments recently met with representatives from Georgia Power to discuss improving street lighting throughout the community.
Georgia Power offers a program called “Light Up the Night,” which includes a comprehensive assessment of the city’s street lighting on roadways and in neighborhoods. The program evaluates current lighting conditions and provides recommendations for replacements, upgrades, and additional lighting where needed. Georgia Power provides this assessment at no cost to the city.
Members of the city’s Business Integration, Community Improvement, Finance, and Public Works departments were involved in the utility’s study of city lighting.
Because the assessment is a detailed review around the city, the process will take some time to complete. City Manager Ulysses “Duke” Rayford said last week the city is “looking at multiple months” for the assessment and its results.
Georgia Power provides various types of lighting to the city depending on its review. Street lights are owned and maintained by Georgia Power and the city pays a monthly fee per light for the service, according to a post on the city’s Facebook page about the utility’s review.
The utility’s assessment will help determine opportunities to improve lighting and enhance safety in neighborhoods and along roadways. The fee per light depends on the style and brightness of the illuminating device.
The lighting study will provide the city with a count of exactly how many of each type light the city has and make recommendations on whether to add /remove units and/or upgrade others.
Regardless of the outcome of the lighting audit, there will be no tax increase on citizens, officials said in answering a question about the assessment.
