December 2017
Harlingen
Who pays for the lights? Downtown Board approves funding from the assessment monies to purchase the lights for the trees and the Jackson Street Market Days purchases the bulbs for the downtown buildings.
Who puts up the lights? Our Maintenance Coordinator puts the lights on the trees, Public Works hangs the Christmas Decorations across the street as well as the Christmas Tree, and a volunteer (board member) and his son places the lights on the buildings.
Are lights located on all downtown buildings or just in specific areas? Lights are on Buildings on Jackson Street.
Do you use your lights for the holidays or all year long? The lights on the palms and oaks are hung all year round.
When and for how long are the lights on? The lights are on from 6 pm - 2 am, 7 days a week.
What issues have you run into installing lights? If it weren't for the individual businesses agreeing to hook up the lights on their own electricity, we couldn't put as many lights out as we do.
What advice would you give to other cities? Having the lights on the trees year-round has made a big difference in Downtown Harlingen. First of all, it looks festive and unique. It draws people to see or experience the lights and it feels safer. We see a lot of families and individuals now walking, jogging, walking their pets, or window shopping.
La Grange
Who pays for the lights? The EDC
Who puts up the lights? Professional contractor
Are lights located on all downtown buildings or just in specific areas? All downtown
Do you use your lights for the holidays or all year long? Holidays and other special events
When and for how long are the lights on? Usually starts about Thanksgiving and lasts til February.
What issues have you run into installing lights? Dealing with reliable contractors, fair pricing, and maintenance.
What advice would you give to other cities? Talk to as many other cities as you can.
Caldwell
Who pays for the lights? The city pays for the lights on the streets and light poles.
Who puts up the lights? The city puts them up and takes them down. The county sets out lights on the courthouse lawn and Main Street has been adding additional lights and dancing lights over the last two years. This includes programming the lights.
Are lights located on all downtown buildings or just in specific areas? Lights are not located on all downtown businesses, only across a few streets, from the top of the courthouse down to the light poles (the city installs those). However, this year we've partnered with the high school floral class and they are going to assist 10 downtown businesses with their storefront decorations. Main Street 501c3 paid for a speaker system that was installed on the courthouse that will play holiday music each evening and can be used as a PA system for events.
Do you use your lights for the holidays or all year long? The lights are only up for the holidays.
What issues have you run into installing lights? We've had no major issues, other than learning how to program the Light-o-Rama.
What advice would you give to other cities? If you do it yourself, it's a ton of work...but worth it when people post pictures and video of the lights.
Lufkin
Who pays for the lights? City and Main Street
Who puts up the lights? Street Dept.
Are lights located on all downtown buildings or just in specific areas? All downtown buildings
Do you use your lights for the holidays or all year long? Christmas
When and for how long are the lights on? Building lights are on first of November through January
What issues have you run into installing lights? Roofs are unsafe or building is too high.
Mount Vernon
Who pays for the lights? We implemented a lighting program a couple of years ago and have added to it each year.
Who puts up the lights? The City paid for most of it, with a generous contribution from our local junior league.
Are lights located on all downtown buildings or just in specific areas? The light were installed by Texas Holiday lighting out of Forney Texas. They are wonderful and reasonably priced.
Do you use your lights for the holidays or all year long? They are on all downtown buildings
When and for how long are the lights on? The building lights are left on all year
What issues have you run into installing lights? We have not had any issues
What advice would you give to other cities? Let a professional do it
Georgetown
Who pays for the lights? Georgetown Electric (City owned)
Who puts up the lights? City contracts with private company to install and maintain
Are lights located on all downtown buildings or just in specific areas? All buildings on the square and within one block off the square on side streets.
Do you use your lights for the holidays or all year long? Building lights are used all year, but the lights on the trees are only on for the holidays.
When and for how long are the lights on? Lights turn on the Friday after Thanksgiving and stay on until New Years.
What issues have you run into installing lights? Others off the square want lights too, but it’s just not feasible to extend further at this time. Also maintenance.
What advice would you give to other cities? Find your supporters for this project, because it is well worth it! We see so many more people during the holiday season because of the beautiful lights installed around downtown.
Henderson
Who pays for the lights? Main Street Program pays for the electricity and the quarterly maintenance.
Who puts up the lights? All of our lights in downtown were bought and put up by Main Street Program.
Are lights located on all downtown buildings or just in specific areas? Our district is a 9 block area but there are 47 buildings with lights on the facades
Do you use your lights for the holidays or all year long? Building lights are on throughout the year.
When and for how long are the lights on? Lights are on for four hours during the winter and three hours rest of the time.
What issues have you run into installing lights? Sometimes the building owners get nervous about workers getting on their roofs, but we have had no one to refuse maintenance. The electric company that does the work is very careful when doing the work.
Canton
Who pays for the lights? The lights on the top of the buildings stay up year round and the city pays for most of them. The few that are tied into the buildings are paid by the business owners but we maintain them. We do add extra Christmas lights to our light posts on top of the banners just around the square.
Are lights located on all downtown buildings or just in specific areas? We do not have them on all the buildings but we do around the square. I plan on adding more as budget will allow.
What issues have you run into installing lights? The issues we had with lights are the electric wires and the need for a bucket truck to do the repairs (mostly cost). There are a few owners who would not allow us on their roofs because they had replaced them and did not want us to cause any damaged. This is one building that does not have light, where everyone around them does.
Corsicana
Who pays for the lights? The City.
Who puts up the lights? Do you use your lights for the holidays or all year long? Our tree and building lights stay up all year long, they are maintained by my Tourism budget throughout the year. We hire a local, downtown electric company to do all the work. Starting every summer, we have them updated, tweaked if needed, reset or restrung before the Holiday season. That typically runs around $6,000-$8,000 per year.We do add to the lights downtown during the holiday season with intersection lights, a lit Christmas tree and our pocket park light displays. Done by our Parks and Rec dept.
When and for how long are the lights on? Lights are all set on timers to turn on/off at dusk/dawn-maintained by our Parks and Rec dept.
Are lights located on all downtown buildings or just in specific areas? Almost of all downtown. Our downtown is 3 blocks wide, so as of now, it only runs down Beaton and a couple of side streets off Beaton.
What issues have you run into installing lights? I think the biggest issue has been sourcing power downtown
I think it adds to the downtown all year long. I do wish we had even more lights around the holidays. Since we have them up all year, it doesn’t seem quite as grand for the Holidays. The upkeep can be time consuming and costly, depending on how large your downtown is. Overall, I believe it is a great investment. It makes the downtown feel warm and lively, even on a quiet cold night.
New Braunfels
Who pays for the lights? The City pays for our lights (except the one’s on the Courthouse which are paid and managed by the County)
Who puts up the lights? Our Parks Department puts up the lights and decorations
Do you use your lights for the holidays or all year long?
Are lights located on all downtown buildings or just in specific areas? They are in the ROW (on trees and posts) and in our Main Plaza which is a designated City Park. Our lights are only in the core of Downtown radiating off the Plaza along Seguin Avenue and San Antonio Street.
When and for how long are the lights on? We begin installation in late October and there lit from the Friday before Thanksgiving thru the end of the year.
What issues have you run into installing lights? Issues include ensuring the correct warmth on replacement strands and bulbs and squirrels damaging the wires and tripping the electricity. We have not had any problems with the City crews installing and managing the project, which saves a TON of money. I do wish we had more lights and that we could install them on the buildings.
