Aldermen are aiming for a brighter Brookhaven as they look to replace 195 high pressure sodium light fixtures with LED fixtures throughout the downtown area, Brookway Boulevard and Hwy. 51.

The board’s hope, Deputy City Clerk Samantha Melancon said after a special-called meeting Thursday, is to save money and improve the overall appearance of the city.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Downtown will have 38 light bulbs replaced in the current acorn light poles and surrounding area. The cost to replace and install the new bulbs will be $1,239. The city is expected to save $183 a month on the electric bill.

• Brookway Boulevard will have 62 light bulbs replaced from Westbrook Cinema Four to Sonic, which is powered by Entergy. The area past Sonic headed west toward I-55 is powered by Southwest Mississippi Electric Power Association. Entergy and the city are in discussions to get them on board. The cost to replace and install the new bulbs will be $2,021. The city is expected to save  $291 a month.

• Hwy. 51 from Industrial Park Road to Woodland Hill Drive will have 95 light bulbs replaced. The cost to replace and install the new bulbs will be $3,032. The city is expected to save $372 a month.

“The major benefits of replacing the high pressure sodium lightbulbs with LED lights in these areas is to make the city have a more uniform appearance, with better lighting and economically a cost savings to the city,” Melancon said.

City officials say there will be a test run in an area to see how things work out first before removing and installing the lights in all of the planned areas.

At the meeting, the board also approved repairs to a municipal drainage ditch that is located under Perkins Hardware.

“A lot of storm water flows through that drainage system during a hard rain, which is an integral part of the municipal drainage network,” Mayor Joe Cox said. “The city, along with property owner Frank Moak, is being proactive in addressing the repair of the ditch before a problem arises.”

Pro Shot Concrete Inc. of Florence, Alabama, was awarded the bid to go in and fix the problem. The city will pay half and Moak will pay the other half project cost. The bid is $97,450. The project will clean out debris and fill holes that are approximately two feet deep in places. The company plans to fill the holes and spray the area with a gunite liner — a mixture of sand, cement and water — to ensure better protection in the future.