Acosta Plaza finally gets lights

The Acosta Plaza neighborhood in Salinas has something to celebrate — new LED street lights.

The Executive Director of the Center for Community Advocacy, Juan Uranga, said the main goal of these new lights is to make “this community safer, and a better community for all.”

The neighborhood has seen its fair share of crime. Residents have been pushing for quality lighting for years. A recent survey by the CCA found 98% of the residents said a lack of lighting was their biggest safety concern.

But that’s all in the past now. With help from the CCA, and months of hard work, residents caught the city’s attention.

“And through our work through Building Healthy Communities, the California Endowment decided to invest $100,000 into this lighting project here in Acosta Plaza” said Andrea Manzo of the Building Healthy Communities Initiative for The California Endowment.

The LED lights will save the Laurel Town House Owners Association between $8,000 and $10,000. The residents hope the association will re-invest those funds into other Acosta Plaza projects, including the basketball court repairs, and turning an old, vacant home in the neighborhood into a community center.

“And I think this is just the beginning of what you’re going to see in our neighborhoods and communities, so this is a very important project with a lot of great partners” said Joe Gunter, Mayor of Salinas.

The installation of these new LED street lights are just one step in helping the Acosta Plaza a safer and healthier community.