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Milwaukee thieves keep city's Rufus King neighborhood in the dark
People living in parts of Milwaukee's Rufus King neighborhood have not had working streetlights for months. City officials say thieves are what brought the project to an abrupt halt.
MILWAUKEE - People living in parts of Milwaukee's Rufus King neighborhood have not had working streetlights for months. City officials say thieves are what brought the project to an abrupt halt.
Street lights dark
What we know:
From N. 12th Street to N. 19th Street, the Rufus King neighborhood streetlights have been out.
Lashaun Robinson and his family live in the neighborhood. He has to turn on his high beams when he drives at night.
What they're saying:
"Either these lights are just super dim or they aren’t working at all," Robinson said. "I think with it being so dark there is a lot of stuff that could happen that no one would know."
Lashaun Robinson
The lights are out because the city is doing a circuit replacement job. But it was supposed to be done by now.
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"These projects can be a target because of the value of copper wire," said Kevin Muhs, city engineer.
Muhs said theft has been a problem – stolen copper wire, plastic pipes – plus, staffing shortages are what is keeping the lights off.
"I agree with you, somebody is probably selling it. Those materials do have value," Muhs said.
3-week pause for project
Dig deeper:
The project is on a three-week pause while the contractor waits for the stolen material to be replaced.
This theft was talked about at Wednesday's Public Works Committee – after people reached out wondering what was taking so long.
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"It is kind of disheartening to hear right because we hear the complaints from the folks who actually live there in the darkness and all that comes with that for long periods of time," said Milwaukee Alderwoman Milele Coggs.
Moving forward
What's next:
The Department of Public Works said this is not the first time this has happened. A similar incident happened on the city's south side in 2024.
"Anything that can be salvaged or sold should be secured," said Paul Keltner, construction management engineer.
Milwaukee is working with the contractor to make sure the site is secured. Officials hope to have the project finished in the next two to three months.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the City of Milwaukee.