If
you've been downtown at nighttime lately, you've probably observedthat decorative
lighting has been added to the trees.
This was particularly noticeable at Christmastime when Visalia also had
its Candy Cane Lane lighting on display.
This new lighting has lent a festive look to our historic downtown and I
have received many positive comments regarding the same. You might be interested in knowing about all
the work and effort that went into making this possible. I credit downtown businessman Myron Sheklian
for providing me with most of the following information.
The
downtown Christmas lights upgrade began in the fall of 2011. Some of the wiring on the decorations was frayed
and a safety hazard. The cost to completely
replace the decorations with state-of-the art LED lighting would have been in
excess of $100,000.00! The Downtown
Visalia Property Owners Association (POA) instead donated over $9,000.00 to
remove and replace the old wiring and replace the lights with LED lighting in
order to reuse the existing decorations.
Labor parties of POA members, downtown merchants, service clubs and
church members were organized to replace the lighting on all of the
decorations. Because the new lighting
could not be plugged into the fluctuating antiquated streetlight power, local
merchants allowed the Christmas lights to be plugged into their business
locations along the parade route and paid for the additional electrical use.
The
following year, the POA spearheaded a project to power one side of Main Street,
Court and Locust with permanent wiring strung from the light posts, and the next
year the electrical upgrade included powering the other side of the
streets. The total cost for the parts
and labor for this two-year electrical upgrade project was $48,852.35.
In
2016, the POA operations committee was given permission to installdecorative tree
lighting to remain for up to three years at a time. Tree pruning was coordinated prior to
installing the new lighting on the trees.
A survey of trees on Main Street was conducted to determine which trees
were appropriately sized and near enough to power sources. There were roughly 100 trees that were
considered and the POA decided to illuminate 48 of these trees based on
cost. The trees selected were evenly balanced
out on both sides of Main Street. A
professional holiday lighting company was contracted to do the actual
installation of the lights. Volunteers such
as Mr. Sheklian and Mike Fistolera and their employees ran power to each of the
selected trees to greatly reduce the charges by the professional company. The cost for the electrical cords, additional
lights and the installation came to $24,614.55.
The tree lighting project could not have happened had the POA not
installed the electrical wiring upgrade in previous years. The total cost to refurbish the Candy Cane
Lane light decorations, to purchase replacement bulbs and strings as needed for
maintenance, to install electrical upgrades, and to light the trees was well in
excess of $80,000.00, with the entire amount being contributed by the POA. At our February 21, 2017 city council
meeting, a Resolution of Commendation was presented by the city council relating
to these lighting projects.
So
the next time you're walking down Main Street enjoying the new twinkle lights,
remember the time, effort and money that went into making it all possible. To conclude this article, let me share a
recent letter received by the city from Rachel Mano, a Visalia resident since
2001: "My husband and I would like to let you know that Main Street is our
favorite weekend hang out. So much to
choose from (dining). I'd like to
congratulate whoever is responsible for the decisions and dedication that goes
into keeping Main Street a safe and thriving atmosphere. I hope you can pass on this credit where
credit is due. Anyway, I wanted to
comment on the "tree lights" that have been lit up since Christmas,
what a wonderful idea. Love, love, love,
love, them. It reminds me of being in a
different city (i.e., SLO, Cambria, etc.).
It's warm and welcoming. I hope
they stay up forever! Everyone we talk to
feels the same way. I have noticed more
and more people walking down Main Street and commenting about the lights. Please thank those responsible for the idea
and the effort of the business owners."
Let
me add my thanks and appreciation to the many individuals, merchants, the POA,
City of Visalia employees and all those who made these lighting projects
possible so that the rest of us can enjoy them, now on a year-round basis!
