City embraces a bright light idea

WALLA WALLA – The bare branches of downtown’s trees become part of an illuminated sculpture as strands of bulbs are woven through the limbs.

The meticulous task of stringing the lights is the unofficial signal to the start of a new season. Limb by limb. Bough by bough. At the end, 96 of the statuesque trees shine with glowing branches reaching like spires toward the sky.

The lighting of the trees takes place each year, usually with the help of volunteers.

But this year is different. A professional company strung the light-emitting diode, or LED, bulbs which will remain in place even after the cold months end.

Through public and private partnerships, a Portland-area company will maintain the year-round lights, said Jennifer Northam, events and public relations manager for Downtown Walla Walla Foundation.

Northam said the goal is to keep the trees lit permanently, enhancing the downtown experience for residents and visitors.

During the winter, the glowing lights add to the festive feeling of the season, she said. In summer, she believes it will fit well with the cozy charm of downtown.

The project is a partnership between a cluster of businesses/associations and the city. Four organizations have agreed to finance the project: Land Title of Walla Walla Inc., Key Technology, Community Bank and the Downtown Development Association.

Contributions from those organizations will pay the initial $44,000 installation fee and subsequent annual maintenance by Beaverton, Ore.-based A Light Up Co.

The business specializes in commercial lighting services. Over the last two years, the company has contracted with the Portland Business Alliance to manage the lighting program for the Portland downtown metro area.

Rather than using zip ties or wires, the company holds the lights in place with a flexible tape that allows for branch movement in winds, Northam said. Additionally, the tape doesn’t restrict limb growth. a condition that met the approval of the city’s arborist, said Walla Walla Parks and Recreation Director Jim Dumont.

As a partner in the project, the city has trimmed the trees to prepare the canopies for the lights. All electrical boxes at the base of the trees have been checked and upgraded as needed, Dumont said.

The city intends to cover the electrical costs for the lighting, added Tim McCarty, Walla Walla’s support services director.

McCarty said the city has always paid electrical costs for the lighting, in part because with so many outlets used for a variety of needs it’s too difficult to determine individual uses and costs.

Though the lights will be year-round, McCarty said savings from the energy-efficient bulbs could actually decrease the city’s bill.

Earlier this year the city upgraded its stoplights and signals from incandescent to LED. McCarty said the six-year payoff on that project indicates that the LED lights are roughly 20 percent or less of the cost of incandescent lights.

LED strands cost more initially than incandescents, but are far less costly to operate, according to the December 2007 issue of Consumer Reports.

Depending on the size of the lights, the LED strands can cost from half-again as much to nearly triple what incandescents will set you back. On the flip side, the LED strands cost almost nothing to operate – from 14 to 30 cents for 300 hours of light. For the same amount of lighting, incandescents range from $1.30 to $11 to operate, the magazine reports.

The analysis suggests homeowners would need more than one 90-day season to recoup the difference in purchase price.

Walla Walla’s lighting project should extend from Palouse Street down to Fourth Avenue.

With 10 to 12 strings per tree, the efforts of A Light Up Company will freckle Walla Walla’s landscape with an estimated 73,920 lights, said Northam.

The glow will be a bright accessory to a stunning corridor, she said.

“Walla Walla has grown from a community where a handful of volunteers could put up the lights,” she said. “We’re a different downtown now, and it’s time to step it up with this level of professionalism.”