Decorative light ceiling installed in downtown Arlington Heights
Light strands were hung Thursday at the intersection of Vail Avenue and Campbell Street for a new decorative light ceiling that Arlington Heights officials believe will add to the downtown ambience.
The decorative feature - consisting of about 440 lineal feet of lights with 220 individual LED bulbs - was scheduled to go live Thursday evening, according to Charles Witherington-Perkins, the village's director of planning and community development.
Village officials have been planning to install the light ceiling for at least a year as a way to create a unique ambience and better define the space of the key downtown intersection.
Crews began by installing new steel light poles at the four-corner intersection late last week. Those poles should be able to handle the weight of six guide wire cables with attached bulbs that hang corner to corner and on diagonals 22 feet off the ground.
The lights are scheduled to be on in the evenings, year-round, but they will be controlled by a sensor and not run all night, Witherington-Perkins said.
Village Trustee Mike Sidor, who lives downtown, said neighbors have been asking him about the project.
"It's going to be kind of cool," Sidor said. "People are very excited about it. I think it's going to bring a whole new element to the downtown area."
Trustees authorized spending $34,225 last February to install the light ceiling. With the cost of four new poles, the project was estimated to cost $54,220.
Officials got the idea from Oak Park and Bethesda, Maryland, which have light ceilings that cover entire city blocks. Whether Arlington Heights would extend its ceiling is to be determined, officials said.