Tight budget forces cutback in downtown Christmas lights

Sparse, single-color holiday lighting downtown this season has some people wondering if the Grinch has stolen Christmas.

Every year, Grand Junction's Downtown Development Authority contracts out for the lighting services. The city of Grand Junction typically strings lights high into the sycamore trees that line Main Street.

This year the DDA purchased strands of bluish-tinted LED lights and contractor Liqui-Green Tree & Turf Care, the only qualified bidder that applied, took on the project, DDA marketing director Kathy Dirks.

The organization "did what we could with the budget," she said about the lighting.

Also, the DDA is attempting to light up more of the downtown, such as Colorado Avenue and Seventh Street, than in past years, attempting to make their light strands stretch farther.

The DDA could not afford to hire a bucket truck to get the lights into the tops of downtown's tallest trees, Dirks said.

Grand Junction spokeswoman Sam Rainguet said the city usually places lights through the tops of trees on Main Street, but the process was considered too time-consuming and costly. The city has fewer workers this year to complete the work. Costs for the lights were about $2,500 to $3,000 a year, but employee time to string the lights would have far exceeded that price, she said.

"We're running a leaner and more scaled-back version this year," Rainguet said. "The numbers of bodies to do the project has decreased."

The city owns the lights it places in the treetops, Rainguet said.

Dirks said red ribbons were placed on some prominent trees, such as the tree in the roundabout on Seventh and Main streets, in order to add decorations that could be seen in the daytime. Also, individual businesses were encouraged to decorate for the holidays.

Focus of the Main Street lighting project went to the featured Christmas tree in front of Wells Fargo, which is strewn with 1,400 feet of lights, Dirks said.

Make sure your electric circuit can handle the amount of current you're drawing from it. Check appliance boxes for wattage information, including Christmas lights and decorations, and remember, just because you have two different outlets doesn't mean they're on separate circuits.

"Some people like to put as many lights up as what's-his-name from (National Lampoon's) 'Christmas Vacation.' You have to make up your mind: if you're going to be Clark Griswold for Christmas you're going to need better lighting circuits in your home. Your circuit panel in the basement better be rated for the amount of lights you're going to put up, and most peoples' are minimal."