What started as an idea to keep Christmas lights on all year long has turned into a mission to replace every string of lights in Seward’s downtown business district.
Gregg Nelson, a local business owner, is heading the Illuminate Seward project, in conjunction with the Seward County Chamber and Development Partnership and with help from the City of Seward’s electrical department.
The lights around the tops of the buildings are on throughout December and for the July 4 festivities – known as “Operation Silhouette.”
Nelson wants to see the lights stay on all year.
“It’s a beautiful glow for downtown Seward,” he said. “It makes the whole downtown look kind of like a Hallmark card.”
As he began figuring out who was responsible for the lights, it became apparent that they can’t stay on all year (or even for many more Decembers) in their current condition.
He spoke with the SCCDP, which pays the electricity bill for the lights, and the City of Seward electrical department, which maintains the strings.
“We found out those lights were 25 to 30 years old and in bad shape,” Nelson said. “Half of them don’t work, and the other half are basically considered by the power company to be a safety issue.”
Now, his goal is to replace them all with new, high-efficiency LED bulbs.
The new lights would take less energy to operate and would produce the same warm white glow.
They could be programmed into different color patterns – red, white and blue for the Fourth or blue and yellow for Bluejay game days, Nelson said.
The total cost to replace the lights and add necessary power sources is around $140,000.
Nelson said they hope to raise a third of that through private donations. The rest is expected to come from grants and building and business owners.
Nelson said the new lights should last another 25 years.
He said leaving the lights on would make for a more attractive business district and encourage residents to spend more time out and about in the evenings.
“I think the lights can play a big role in that,” he said. “They’re festive, they’re beautiful, and they add an air of safety.”
Donations to Illuminate Seward can be made until May 5 through Seward County Gives at sewardcountygives.com. After that, donations may be made at the SCCDP office, 616 Bradford in Seward. All donations are tax deductible.
