Memphis Light, Gas and Water and District 4 Memphis City Councilwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington will host a community meeting and conversation about the Orange Mound Neighborhood Initiative (OMNI) on Thursday, February 27 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the Orange Mound Community and Senior Center, 2590 Park Ave.

The OMNI plan came about after Winter Storm Landon in 2022. Customers in the Orange Mound area including Sherwood Forest, Eastmoor, Cherokee Heights and Bethel Grove were without power the longest after the storm. Compared to customers in the rest of MLGW’s service area, customers in the Orange Mound neighborhood lost power more often – double the average for the rest of the electric system, and power was out for longer amounts of time.

The original electric distribution system in the OMNI area was 50 – 85 years old. Nearly 90% was overhead construction, and it conformed to old construction standards. MLGW developed a plan to modernize and update the electric system and improve reliability.

MLGW invites customers to learn about the progress the utility has made improving infrastructure in the OMNI area, and hear what changes are still to come.

Customer Service Advisors will be available at Thursday’s meeting to help customers with billing/accounts. Meeting attendees will also get updated on MLGW’s lead service line replacement program.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water is the largest three-service public power utility in the nation, serving the residents of Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee since 1939. MLGW consistently provides customers with rates that are amongst the lowest in the nation and stewards a water supply from artesian wells that is minimally treated. Actively engaged in promoting the prosperity of Memphis and Shelby County, MLGW supports the seven local chambers in its service area and makes doing business with local, minority- and women-owned business a priority. Deeply rooted in the community, its employees generously donate time and money in support of bettering the Greater Memphis area.