Our partnership with CenterPoint Energy has replaced or repaired 3,000 East End streetlamps since 2003!
District staff members Martin Chavez, Pablo Reyes, and Erick Retana fight crime in the shadows of the night, not with force or weapons, but with light bulbs. Martin is Director of Facilities and Public Safety for the Greater East End Management District. During the day Pablo and Erick work as part of a crew responsible for clearing graffiti and inspecting The East End for illegal trash dumping sites and problem drain areas.
As the sun sets over Houston and the lights begin to illuminate the East End, Pablo and Martin turn into the crime fighting dynamic duo, patrolling the streets and hike and bike trails. Every single burned out or vandalized light bulb is catalogued for replacement. They know the traffic arteries like the palm of their hands due to the their years of service, some days lasting into midnight.
Since the Greater East End Management District started this safety master plan, more than three thousand street lights have been replaced or fixed as a partnership with CenterPoint Energy. Every month, sixteen square miles of the East End are inspected and reported for maintenance to CenterPoint Service Consultants Estella Rodriguez and David Smith.
Thirty five percent of East End residents rely on well lit thoroughfares as they walk and cycle to and from their destinations. The collaborative efforts of GEEMD and CenterPoint Energy have been credited as being a key factor for the 20% reduction in crime.
Anyone can report street light outages, and CenterPoint will repair them in 3 days if the problem is the bulb or something simple. If the power feed has failed then it may take longer. There is no cost to the person reporting the outage! When you see one not working, write down the six-digit number on the street side of the pole as you will need to enter it so CenterPoint knows the location.
Click here to report an outage. cpn.centerpointenergy.com/outage
On December 15, the Greater East End Management District recognized and thanked CenterPoint Energy for helping lighting the way to a safe community.
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