“I wouldn’t want to meet that guy in a dark alley,” the saying goes.

Now, that situation will happen a lot less frequently in Aurora, thanks to a grant from ComEd and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus.

The city of Aurora received a $10,000 grant from the ComEd Powering Safe Communities program to purchase more than 100 LED solar-powered, motion-sensor lights to be installed on garages and back yards in neighborhoods where there are no light poles. These lights will be presented to Aurora neighborhood groups in the second, third, and fourth wards, which will distribute them to their members.

The lights will be installed, for free, by volunteers at Rebuilding Together Aurora.

“On behalf of Aurora, I thank ComEd and my colleagues of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus for this grant. It will literally help to make our community shine brighter,” said Mayor Tom Weisner. “This is a true team effort between our aldermen, neighborhood groups, community partners and City staff. When we all join together to solve an issue at hand, we quite often succeed.”

Grant funds also will be used to produce thousands of brochures entitled “Keeping Our Neighborhoods Safe and Neighborly,” compiled by the Neighborhood Group Support Program. The brochures provide information on how to join or create a Neighborhood Group in Aurora, tips on neighborhood improvement and pertinent information on being a good neighbor.

Aurora is one of 23 communities in ComEd’s service area to receive the Powering Safe Communities award.

The Neighborhood Group Support Team can be contacted at 630-256-3327 or neighborhoodsupport@aurora-il.org.

About Rebuilding Aurora Together

Rebuilding Together Aurora is a safe and healthy housing organization that provides homeowners in need in Aurora, Illinois with FREE critical home repair, home safety modifications, and energy efficiency upgrades. Rebuilding Together Aurora’s work helps to preserve homes and rebuild communities by arming volunteers with hammers, paint brushes, and dedication to service.

About the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus

The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus  is a membership organization of the Chicago region’s 273 cities, towns and villages. Founded in 1997 by then Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and leading Mayors from nine suburban municipal groups, the Mayors Caucus pushes past geographical boundaries and local interests to work on public policy issues. The Caucus provides a forum for metropolitan Chicago’s chief elected officials to collaborate on common problems and work toward a common goal of improving the quality of life for the millions of people who call the region home.