Walnut Grove converts all city streetlights to LED

 

At the very northern tip of Mississippi Power’s service territory, just across the Leake County line, sits Walnut Grove, a town of about 1,900 residents.

While Walnut Grove may not be the biggest city that Mississippi Power serves, it can now stake a claim as a pioneer in the world of lighting.

Walnut Grove is the first town in the company’s 23-county service territory to convert all of its street lights to LEDs, or light emitting diodes.

“We’ve converted street lights to LEDs in a few of the towns in our service territory over the last two years, but this is the first time we have a town going completely LED,” Lighting Services Manager Patrick Leathers said. “There are a lot of reasons why cities and towns are interested in LED lighting for their streets and we’re happy to provide this service to our customers.”

The project began in early August when 37 lights were upgraded. City officials wanted six additional LED streetlights installed along Main Street to increase visibility. The final 43 streetlights were upgraded at the end of August, and there is an open order to install an additional nine new LED lights, bringing the total to 95 LED streetlights in town.

“We were looking for a better lighting solution for the safety and security of our citizens,” Mayor Brian Gomillion said. “Beyond the safety factor, we receive the added bonus of more efficient lighting. We are excited to be leading the way in Mississippi as the first municipality in the state to go all LED street lighting.”

Mayor Gomillion first spoke to local utility men Jack Windham and Johnny Barfield about converting to LED lights. Lighting Engineer and Services Analyst Johnny Cook put together a plan and answered questions from city leaders. District Manager Tommy Jackson said the open communication and responsiveness to the customers’ needs were the keys to this project.

“We have heard nothing but praise from Mayor Gomillion, city leaders and residents about the customer service provided on the conversion,” Jackson said. “We do an outstanding job of keeping the lights on for our customers, but when they have a special request, our commitment to customer service is what sets this company apart.”

To learn more about LED lighting for your home or business, click here.