'Light Up Mainstreet' to enhance holidays in Libertyville
The holiday atmosphere in downtown Libertyville will get a boost this year with the return of a little more sparkle.
After an absence of many years, white lights again will be strung on the roof lines of buildings along Milwaukee Avenue for the "Light Up MainStreet" project. The added touch comes courtesy of MainStreet Libertyville, the downtown redevelopment group.
"MainStreet has done well with it's fundraisers so we want to give something back to the building owners," said Jeff Lovinger, chairman of the volunteer, not-for-profit organization. Installation of the warm white light bulbs is expected to begin this weekend, with the system up and running in about two weeks, he said. Cost to the organization is about $21,000, but there is no charge to building owners.
The new lighting involves an agreement with the village that allows MainStreet to use eight decorative light poles as a power source. The village also will pay the energy costs, estimated at about $1.77 for every eight hours of operation. MainStreet will handle maintenance of the lights, which will be permanent and are expected to be operated about 60 days a year during festivals and promotions.
"The village would have the ability to turn them on and off so it wouldn't become year round," Lovinger said of the frequency the lights would be activated.
MainStreet secured the permission of building owners and hired Holiday Cheer Decorations of Grayslake to string 3,500 bulbs two thirds of a mile on both sides of Milwaukee Avenue from Broadway Avenue north to the Metra commuter tracks.
Lighting the roof lines was suggested about 14 years ago by David Whitmore, owner of the Proctor Building, a local landmark that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Whitmore, who was then head of MainStreet's design committee, said he saw the roof line lighting in Crystal Lake and thought it would be a nice attraction in Libertyville.
A few buildings participated the first year and a few more a second year but the practice petered out, he said. Part of the reason was the use of the old fashioned screw-in bulbs that required some work to replace when they burned out. The new bulbs are the much more energy efficient and longer lasting light-emitting diode (LED) style. The fact that every building along the stretch is involved will be an improvement over the original program, Whitmore said.
"The other thing that makes it better is the advent of LED lights, they use less electricity and burn out less often. It will be less of a maintenance nightmare," he said.
Holiday decorations installed by the village consist of wreaths and lights on light polices, lights on the trees and fencing in Cook Park and seasonal banners. Village park staff install the banners and lights in Cook Park. The village contracts at a cost of about $11,000 per year to install, take down, store and replace the wreaths and lights on the poles.