MONDAY, JAMES RICE EMAILED ME SAYING, I AM WRITING TO REQUEST YOU FOLLOW-UP WITH YOUR REPORT THIS APRIL ABOUT PLANTS TO FIX CERTAIN INTERSTATE LIGHTS. PLEASE ADVOCATE FOR THE PUBLIC AND GET ANSWERS AND ACCOUNTABILITY. THIS AFTERNOON, ALL OF THE STREETLAMPS BEHIND ME WERE LIT UP A FULL WEEK AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. FOR YEARS, IT BIRMINGHAM INTERSTATE DRIVERS HAVE DEMANDED MORE LIGHT IT >> EVERY MOTORIST IN THE CITY KNOWS THAT WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM OF LIGHTS BEING OUT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE METRO. >> IN FACT, WE HAVE EXPOSED THERE ARE 1000 INTERSTATE LAMPS OUT. IN APRIL, BIRMINGHAM SPENT $3 MILLION TO FIX 300 OF THOSE. >> NOT ONLY FOR SAFETY, BUT AESTHETICS. NO ONE WANTS TO LIVE IN A DARK CITY. NO ONE WANTS TO TRAVEL ON A DARK INTERSTATE IN A METROPOLITAN AREA. >> THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, THE CONTRACTOR STONE AND SONS HAS WORKED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE 170 LIGHTS AND TODAY SWITCHED ON A HUGE SECTION NEAR THE BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT. A FULL WEEK AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. >> A LOT OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THE WORLD GAMES HAVE BROUGHT ABOUT HAVE BEEN THINGS CITIZENS WANTED TO HAPPEN FOR QUITE SOME TIME. >> THE CONTRACTOR TELLS ME THEY ARE USING ALUMINUM WIRING. AND MORE TAMPER-PROOF EQUIPMENT. TO KEEP COPPER THIEVES FROM SHORT CIRCUITING THE SYSTEM IN THE FUTURE. COUNCILOR WILLIAMS TELLS ME THEY ARE NOT DONE YET. EVEN AFTER CONTRACTOR STONE AND SONS COMPLETES THIS REPAIR, THEY HOPE TO GET HUNDREDS MORE WORKING THROUGHOUT THE CITY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IT WILL HOPEFULLY MAKE THE VIEWER JAMES RICE’S DAY.