FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Keeping the lights on costs money and the Fresno City Council has just allocated another quarter of a million dollars to protect street lights from wire thieves.
Public Works Director Scott Mozier says it will be money well spent.
Mozier explained, "One of our highest priorities has been keeping the street lights working so these dollars will be used to harden the targets."
The emphasis will be on the vintage streetlights in the older parts of town. A campaign to protect the newer style lights, by encasing the access to the wires in cement has worked well. City Council Member Lee Brand came up with the idea, and he says it's working.
Brand said, "To my knowledge there's not one break in since we did the concrete encasement one year ago."
Nearly 30,000 lights are now protected. About 1,000, mostly older lights still need to be fixed, and that work is underway. Different and perhaps secret protection techniques will be utilized. But Brand notes, things are already brighter.
Brand said, "Before, entire blocks were dark, now people can walk at night jog, go to and from school, and feel safe."
The concrete encasement project cost just $25 a light. Sealing the older lights may cost a little more, but the money appropriated is expected to pay off with safer streets.