Three Gwinnett Neighborhoods To Get New Street Lamps

NORCROSS, GA — Some neighborhoods in Lawrenceville, Lilburn and Norcross are going to be getting a little brighter.

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners this week voted to add Berkeley Creek South, Bruxton Woods and Planters Cove into the county's street-light program.

The county's special-purpose, local option sales tax program will help fund streetlights in those neighborhoods.

"This is a win-win in terms of safety and economics," Commissioner Jace Brooks said in a news release. "This process allows residents in older neighborhoods to petition the Department of Transportation for street-lighting if they agree to pay electricity and maintenance costs."

In the Berkeley Creek South subdivision, 100 percent of 12 homeowners approved paying the annual electrical cost of $552 for four street lights. Gwinnett County will pay $6,805.65 to Jackson EMC for the installation.

In Bruxton Woods, eight of the 10 homeowners agreed to split the annual $516 electrical cost for four streetlights. Gwinnett County will pay $2,000 to Walton EMC to install the street lights.

In Planters Cove, 58 percent of the 83 homeowners approved the annual cost of $3,024.45. Gwinnett County will pay $27,141.99 to Georgia Power to install 22 street lights in that subdivision.

Gwinnett County pays installation costs once a majority of homeowners in a neighborhood sign a petition and agree to keep the lights burning.

Operating and maintenance costs are billed annually to homeowners as a special assessment on their property tax bill. While a majority of the homeowners must vote to approve the contract, all homeowners in the subdivision pay the operating costs.

Gwinnett has required developers to install streetlights in new subdivisions since 1997.

Interested residents can get more information on the petition process from the Gwinnett DOT Community Relations staff by emailing DOTCommunityRelations@gwinnettcounty.com or calling (770) 822-7400.

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