Macon street light overhaul could expand to more areas

Macon-Bibb County could replace about 1,600 street lights as part of a blight project aimed at saving money and improving safety.

The commission’s Operations and Finance Committee moved ahead to the full commission a resolution to spend $1.5 million on replacing 1,590 lights around the urban center of Macon. The change would cut down on maintenance costs while better lighting also would improve pedestrian and vehicular traffic around the county, officials said.

Georgia Power is replacing more than 6,000 street lights across the county with new energy-efficient LED bulbs.

If approved next week, Macon-Bibb would begin putting in additional street lights that are owned by the the county. Street lights are considered a capital improvement project because they enhance the quality of life, thus allowing costs to be covered by the blight remediation bonds, blight consultant Cass Hatcher said.

Some of the roads that would get new lights are Telfair and Cherry streets, Martin Luther King Boulevard and Riverside Drive.

“Most of our lights are in the core of downtown and outliers,” Hatcher said during Tuesday’s meeting.

A computer system would give Macon-Bibb employees the ability control the brightness and monitor when lights go out.

“We’ll have better quality of lights,” Facilities Management Director Robert Ryals said. “It’ll save us manpower and we can diagnose from a remote location.”

Wind gust strikes Bloomfield

A small section of the Bloomfield community felt the wrath of a strong wind Monday night.

The gust damaged a fire station and a couple homes in the south Bibb neighborhood, Macon-Bibb officials reported Tuesday.

“What (the National Weather Service) initially said is it looks like between 40 to 45 miles per hour winds in this very small, very concentrated area,” said Spencer Hawkins, director of the Macon-Bibb County Emergency Management Agency.

The 5565 Bloomfield Road fire station suffered roof damage to about two-thirds of the building. The wind also caused an 8 foot hole in the ceiling of one of the homes, but nobody was injured, Hawkins said.

The county is assessing the damage to see what renovations need to be completed at the fire station.

“I think the building itself is structurally sound,” Chief Marvin Riggins said.

Recreation upgrades head to full commission

The County Commission’s Economic and Community Development Committee approved several resolutions Tuesday aimed at improving recreation and community center facilities.

The resolutions, which now will be voted on Sept. 20 by the County Commission, include upgrades to Henry Burns, Mattie Hubbard Jones and Hillcrest parks. Another resolution also covered the $300,000 needed to build a Kings Park Community Center.

The money would come from $14 million in blight bonds, of which the nine commissioners have $1 million each to spend on projects.

Henry Burns Park would receive a half-million dollars in enhancements. Commissioners also said Tuesday that they would give 90 days for efforts to relocate a boy scout hut inside the park.

Also, Mattie Hubbard Jones, located on Second Avenue, could get new tennis courts, restrooms, pavilion and more as part of a $225,000 renovation. Another resolution proposes tearing down six structures and acquiring a vacant lot on Napier and Grand avenues and Mercer Street around a new fire station.

Hillcrest Park’s $120,000 in improvements would go toward resurfacing the recreation area, demolishing restrooms and putting in new basketball goals, playground equipment and fencing.

This story was originally published September 13, 2016 at 9:31 PM with the headline "Macon street light overhaul could expand to more areas."