Brookhaven residents will soon be seeing things in a differentlight since chamber of commerce and Entergy Mississippi officialsare one step closer to beginning the downtown lighting project.

Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Executive VicePresident Cliff Brumfield said after working with engineers tofigure out the best way to go about putting more attractive, moreuniform street lights in the downtown area, officials have finallycome up with a plan. Brumfield spoke to aldermen during Tuesdaynight’s board meeting.

Brumfield said the additional downtown lighting will include 38lights on 19 light poles to be installed in Railroad Park down tothe Depot, as well as on Whitworth Avenue. The lights will befunded through a Rural Development lighting and signage grant thecity received last year.

“We’ve been given the green light by Rural Development,” saidBrumfield, adding there is still a little paperwork pending.

In addition, Brumfield said, officials will be doing adoor-to-door survey of businesses in the area affected by the newlighting certifying that most of their income levels are under acertain figure and that they have less than 50 employees.

“But that’s most of the businesses in the downtown area,”Brumfield said.

The grant will pay for the infrastructure and other constructionneeds such as borings, conduits and electricity. Brumfield saidEntergy will pay for the poles and lights, which will be helpful inthe future since Entergy will then maintain them.

“Without that part, the city would have to upkeep the lights,”he said.

Brumfield said as time passes the newer, more attractive lightswill replace other older lights in the downtown area, givingdowntown lighting unifrom heights and colors. They will also beengineered so as not to cause a glare into the upper floors ofbuildings, which will benefit those now living in second-floorapartments in the downtown area.

Entergy Customer Accounts Manager Kenny Goza said the new lightswill cost the city an estimated $15,234 per year. In addition, hesaid, 20 fixtures along Whitworth Avenue, Cherokee Street andRailroad Avenue will be uniformed, and the net cost of that will be$2,900 annually.

At this point it is still unknown when exactly the work willbegin, but Brumfield said money left over after the lightingproject is completed will go toward additional signage.