Meridian officials are exploring their options as they work to replace street lights along Highway 39 from the Coca-Cola plant to 33rd Street. The lights were removed last year while the Mississippi Department of Transportation completed a safety improvements project along that portion of the highway.
Currently, the 28 poles previously used for the lights, which belong to the city, are being stored at Woodall Electric while the City Council and administration decide how to move forward.
Assistant Public Works Director Mike Van Zandt said Tuesday there are several options to replace the lights.
While the lights previously were installed in the median, the MDOT project makes that impossible, he said, and the city will have to look at putting the lights back up alongside the roadways. That change doubles the number of poles that will be needed from 28 to 56, Van Zandt said.
The city could lease the additional 28 poles from Mississippi Power, Van Zandt said. A proposed 10-year lease agreement in which the power company will provide the poles, wiring and everything else that is needed, is quoted at $7,200 per month. After the 10-year lease is up, the city can decide to either purchase the poles outright or enter into another lease.
City Attorney Will Simmons said council members should note that the power costs to operate the lights are not included in the monthly fee and will instead be added to the city’s electric bill.
“These are all going to be metered,” he said.
A second option, Van Zandt said, is to buy the additional 28 poles outright. The estimated cost would be around $900,000, he said, which would have to be bid out.
Buying the poles up front is the more expensive option at approximately $36,000 more than going with the 10-year lease. However, Van Zandt said, once the poles have been bought, the city owns them. Under the lease agreement, the city will make payments for 10 years and then have the option to buy them.
Should the City Council chose the purchasing option, he said it will likely also need to enter into a maintenance agreement to keep the poles in working order.
Van Zandt said his recommendation to the council is to put the project out for bids and see what prices come back. That will give the city a better idea of its options and help determine the best way forward, he said.