Des Plaines, thinking of Christmas in July, set to buy new tree

It may be July, but Des Plaines leaders are already thinking about Christmas.

The city's tree, put up each winter in Metropolitan Square, has seen better days, officials say, and they're planning to buy a new one. The city council is scheduled to vote Monday to purchase a 30-foot, pre-lit tree for $28,050.

"You want to plan earlier for it so you get discounts," said Tom Bueser, the city's superintendent of general services.

The current tree is 12 years old, and has been through many winter storms, taking a toll on the structure and branches. It blew down once in a wind storm, Bueser said.

The new tree, from manufacturer Dekra-Lite's Sequoia collection, has self-shaping branches that spring back to their original shape. It comes with 18,500 LED mini-lights, so the city won't have to pay extra every year to have workers string lights on it.