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Saginaw boards approve $48,712 purchase of three holiday displays for Willow Creek Park
Summary
The Saginaw Parks Board and Keep Saginaw Beautiful approved buying a red-bow archway, a reindeer sleigh and animated marching soldiers for a combined $48,712.50, to be split between the two boards; staff warned some park locations require new power service from Encore and could delay installation.
At a joint meeting on May 4, the Saginaw Parks Board and Keep Saginaw Beautiful voted unanimously to purchase three holiday decoration displays — a red-bow archway, a reindeer sleigh and an animated marching-soldier display — at a combined cost staff cited as $48,712.50.
The purchase will be split between the two boards, with each board contributing $24,356.25, staff said. Parks board members reviewed photos, animation previews and the vendor pricing during the meeting and prioritized family-friendly, photogenic installations intended as photo-op focal points for holiday events at Willow Creek Park and the Switchyard.
Why it matters: The displays are meant to increase holiday foot traffic and provide social-media-friendly photo opportunities near the city’s parade and festival activity. Because some proposed locations do not currently have power, staff warned that adding displays on certain red‑dot sites would require utility work by Encore and "would not be something that we could do for this holiday season" if new service is needed.
Board members discussed design and placement before the vote. Timothy Hamilton provided the price breakdown used for budgeting, saying the red-bow archway was about $25,000, the reindeer sleigh about $8,320 and the animated marching soldiers about $15,382, with staff later citing the combined figure of $48,712.50. Members repeatedly endorsed an archway at the Switchyard as the primary photo-op, noting it should not block primary pathways to avoid safety and congestion during events.
Staff described materials and logistics: frames are metal with lighting and decorative fill, the city has storage capacity for the displays, and manufacturer warranties typically cover bulbs and limited repairs. Staff also said the vendor the city has used in past years is based in West Texas, not overseas.
On the operational side, staff noted the Parks Board’s March 16 financial snapshot showed $141,464.99 in the account; after a pending fireworks payment the balance was cited as $126,302.18 (donations received since March were not yet reconciled). Board members discussed a comfortable per-board spending cap in the $20,000–$25,000 range before agreeing the planned split would keep each board within that limit.
A motion to approve purchasing the three displays as stated was made and seconded; Scott Gillette was recorded as the second. The motion passed by unanimous voice/hand raise. Staff said next steps include confirming vendor customizations (for example, adding lit letters or color changes), obtaining exact dimensions and clearance measurements for archways, and coordinating with Encore if new power service is required.
The meeting adjourned after the vote.
