Delmarva Power to improve street lights in Milton

Delmarva Power is planning to replace 31 light bulbs on Mulberry Street in Milton with new LED lights to improve pedestrian safety along the street.

At Milton Town Council’s Dec. 4 meeting, Town Manager Kristy Rogers said she began receiving complaints a year ago about the darkness of Mulberry Street, especially during the winter months. Rogers said she reached out to Delmarva Power, which controls the streetlights, and asked for either better streetlights or new lighting. She said Delmarva Power worked with the Delaware Department of Transportation, which maintains Mulberry Street, and came up with a plan.

Jim Smith, external affairs manager for Delmarva Power, said the plan was to replace 17 high-pressure sodium lights on cobra poles with LED lights. Smith said Delmarva Power and DelDOT are in the process of phasing out high-pressure sodium lights for more energy-efficient LED lights across the state. In addition, Smith said Delmarva Power will add 14 more lights along Mulberry Street to brighten up dark spots. He said the company plans to install those lights during the first quarter of 2024. The new lights will add 4% to the town’s electric bill, coming out to about $200 per month. The town currently pays $5,000 per month for streetlights.

Councilman Larry Savage, who lives on Mulberry Street, said he approved of the plan as it will improve safety, particularly for children. 

Councilman Scotty Edler said, “I think this is a great start. I think we have a number of areas in town that do need attention. Hopefully in the next couple years we can circle back to those. I’m glad to see Mulberry get some attention because it is quite dark. This is a positive first step.”

Mayor John Collier said after Mulberry Street, he would be interested in converting the rest of the town to LED lights. Smith said Delmarva Power would be open to that in the future and asked council to let the company know what areas it would like to do next.