McKenzie experiencing LED streetlight issues, officials propose to add more

McKENZIE, Tenn. — Residents of McKenzie might see their city in a whole new light, as the city proposes to not only fix the few broken LED lights they have, but add more.

Many cities are making the switch  in hopes of saving money, but McKenzie taxpayers might be shelling out more to fix the few they already have.

“It’s hard to find the parts to them, in fact I don’t even think they are available, so we would have to actually replace the whole fixture,” city mayor Jill Holland said.

The only LED streetlights in the city are located on University Drive, which have been lighting the street for nearly 10 years.

Holland said a proposal to replace those LED streetlights and add more around the city has been up in the air.

“It’s nothing we are going to run out and do tomorrow,” she said. “It’s just something that we will know in the next several months.”

Jennifer Waldrup lives in the area and drives up and down University Drive everyday.

She said she has not noticed a difference since they have been out, but would not be opposed to adding more around the city.

“Any kind of savings we could get, would always help with city government,”she said.

She said if the proposal is approved and more lights are added, the project might end up saving taxpayers money.

“The cost is, from what I understand, minimal from what you would pay for the regular bulbs,” she said.

But Mayor Holland said nothing will be done until all the research is in.

“You need to make sure that you’re doing the right thing for your city, and of course that’s what we want to do,” she said.

Holland said she does not have exact figures on the cost as of now, but the proposal would not only include street lamps, but also traffic lights.