NILES — Mayor Steve Mientkiewicz said funds given to Niles by the Ohio Department of Development will help “fast track” the city’s Neighborhood Street Light Replacement Program.

On Thursday, Gov. Mike DeWine announced $3.1 million in grants for 10 Ohio communities to support sustainable, long-term cost and energy savings. Niles is the only community in Trumbull County to receive funding.

Through the Brightening Ohio Communities Grant Program, the city is receiving $491,207 to replace 890 streetlights with LED fixtures. The project is expected to yield an annual utility savings of 66%.

The city has been replacing 250 to 300 old, high pressure sodium bulbs with LED fixtures a year since 2019 as a part of its goal to become more energy efficient. The state funds will help that process, Mientkiewicz said.

“It’s going to help fund the remainder of the program and expedite the process,” Mientkiewicz said. “Currently, we’re about halfway through the program. We have half of our neighborhoods with the streetlights upgraded from the sodium pressure lights to LED.”

Mientkiewicz said LED bulbs are “more cost-efficient, brighter, safer,” and they allow the city to be more sustainable.

“We’re very excited to receive this funding through the Department of Development,” he said. The mayor said Niles has about 2,000 streetlights, one half of which have been replaced.

He said the state funds will go toward the material and labor costs for the remainder of the project. The project will be completed “in the next few years,” Mientkiewicz said.

Administered by the Ohio Department of Development, the grant program helps pay for energy-efficient streetlights, perimeter lighting and lightingcit parking lots.

“The grants we’re announcing today will empower these communities to make more impactful, long-term investments in their neighborhoods,” DeWine said in the release. “By doing something as simple as replacing old street lights, we’re helping free up resources that can be redirected to vital community services like education and public safety.”

All projects selected for funding must show an annual reduction of at least 15% in energy usage, ensuring a tangible and measurable impact on their communities. 

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