Street Lights Repaired on May Avenue

EAST ATLANTA — Wednesday night brought something May Avenue hadn't seen at nighttime in weeks — working street lights.

A residential side street that flanks part of the East Atlanta Village's southern edge, May Avenue had been unlit for several weeks.

It created a network of shadows and darkness that tragically made it easy for an unknown gunman to hide and pounce on three passersby on May 25, shoot at two of them, including Patrick Cotrona, who died in what police said was a robbery.

The lack of street lights was among the first things homicide investigators noted at the crime scene and something they and neighborhood leaders promised to address.

The Grant Park Neighborhood Association posted a primer on its website Wednesday to guide residents on how to properly register complaints with respect to non-working lights:

Streetlights reduce crime and increase community pride.

Please check the streetlights on your street, and report them if they're burnt out!

Please report streetlights that are burnt out or blinking on-and-off by calling the numbers below.

For streetlights on a METAL pole, City of Atlanta residents should call 404.330.6333.

For streetlights on a WOODEN pole call Georgia Power at 888.660.5890.

With Georgia Power you will need to provide the following voice prompts when prompted:
"Help me with something else"
"Outdoor lighting"
"Problem with outdoor lighting"
When asked if the light is on your property say "no"

On Wednesday, Georgia Power Co. crews were out on May Avenue repairing at least three lights on that street. They also fixed one on on Flat Shoals Avenue, just south of the May Avenue intersection.

The repairs followed service request filings Edward Gilgor, who is chairman of Neighborhood Planning Unit-W and a May Avenue resident, placed with Georgia Power.

East Atlanta isn't alone with concerns and complaints about non-functioning lights on public streets or in public parks.

Old Fourth Ward, Candler Park, Reynoldstown and Grant Park, among other neighborhoods, have grappled with lighting issues for years.

In an extreme example, one Old Fourth Ward homeowner reported to East Atlanta Patch last year some lights on her street had been non-functioning for 10 years.

Saturday's deadly shooting — the second in a week in East Atlanta — had many neighborhoods reassessing lighting issues that needed to be addressed.