Council approves festoon lighting for Iron Horse Arts District

The city council voted to approve a proposal from the Iron Horse Arts District to install year-round festoon (string) lighting on East and West avenues between Third and Fifth streets.

The lights are intended to add evening vibrancy and improve walkability in the downtown area, Cassie Ehrenberg, executive director of the Iron Horse Arts District, told the council. "We were certified as a creative district in January of last year" and the lighting "will ideally draw in more tourists, get more people downtown, [and] improve walkability," Ehrenberg said.

Ehrenberg told the council the installation would cost just over $30,000 and that the district already has about two-thirds of the funding, with the balance to come from grants and fundraising. She asked the city to grant permission to install the lights between Third and Fifth streets, to assist with installation through city electrical staff, to take ownership and ongoing electrical responsibility after installation, and—if feasible—act as the purchaser to eliminate sales tax. "We would request assistance from city workers to get that installed," Ehrenberg said.

Council members and city staff discussed technical and safety questions. Staff said the support cable would attach to existing street poles rather than pedestrian-level fixtures and that the cable would be routed to keep attachments well above typical pedestrian reach; poles in the area were described as roughly 27 feet tall and cable clearances over the highway have been discussed with the state. City staff and the presenter said the design uses a single-color lamp string (color-changing lights were described as cost-prohibitive for now) and that the lights would turn on with streetlights. Cassie Ehrenberg said installation was anticipated in February or March.

A motion to accept the proposal was made by Councilmember Corey and seconded by Philip. The motion passed on a council voice/roll-call vote with councilmembers recorded as "yes" in the roll call.

The council did not adopt a formal written contract on the floor; the action on the night was approval of the proposal and authorization to move forward with city assistance and transfer of ownership as requested by the Iron Horse Arts District. Specific procurement or purchase steps and any required intergovernmental approvals (for lines crossing the highway) were discussed but not finalized during the meeting.

If the district proceeds, staff will coordinate installation timing with the city electrical division and any state approvals required for cabling over the highway.