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Downtown businesses, Chamber raise lighting and Christmas Walk concerns; board backs private tree‑lighting effort
Summary
At the Jan. 8 PSD meeting the Chamber and board members said the Christmas Walk appeared less busy this year and some downtown residents complained the holiday music was too loud; the board supported a privately led effort to hire a commercial installer for the City Hall tree and discussed decorative pole lighting.
Rachael Porter, representing the Chamber, told the Principal Shopping District on Jan. 8 that the Christmas Walk seemed less busy than in prior years and that the Chamber will provide more detailed attendance data in the coming weeks. Porter told the board she has received comments about a lack of street lighting on the block between Parsleys and Timbered Spirits and that some people found the holiday music outdated.
City Manager Jon Schneider said the music schedule matched what the PSD approved last year (Friday–Sunday from lunchtime until dinnertime) and that DPW staff had adjusted speaker angles so sound was directed away from buildings and the road. Chair Cooper said she had received calls from downtown apartment residents about the music being too loud; Schneider said he had not received calls at City Hall about the noise.
A local community member asked whether the City would consider hiring a commercial company to install lights on the tree in front of City Hall for the Christmas Walk and said they would try to fundraise to offset the cost. The board gave consensus that it was acceptable for an individual to champion pursuing a commercial installer. Porter said the Chamber will continue coordinating with the school so students can help decorate the tree.
Porter also announced a Business Resource Luncheon on Jan. 14 at The Stream to discuss Placer AI location intelligence and foot‑traffic software, and said the Clover Crawl will be held March 15. No formal policy changes or municipal funding commitments for lighting were made at the meeting; any commercial installation would be privately funded and led by community volunteers.
