HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The city kicked off the Holiday Season with the start up of brand-new LED lights outlining downtown buildings.
The event as a part of Third Thursday brought a large crowd and is the culmination of a year-plus project to replace building lights along Main that had mostly gone dark because of aging wiring and disrepair.
A committee of the Downtown Hutchinson Revitalization Partnership set about raising over $80,000 to replace the lights along Main from Avenue C north to Third and to the alleys on either side of Main. All new wiring with long-lasting, energy-efficient LED bulbs has been installed over the past month. All of the wiring, equipment and lights and the work was all purchased and put together locally.
Half of the money was dedicated by the Hutchinson City Council from a downtown streetscape-public art reserve fund. The rest was raised from private donors and building owners. Westar Energy gave a lead $2,500 gift to the project, and many corporate institutions contributed $1,000 each. Donors are being recognized with a plaque mounted in Avenue A Park which was unveiled during the ceremony.
The entertainment included the Hutchinson Community College jazz combo and the Hutchinson High School band drum line, and Hutchinson Mayor Cindy Proett, flipped the switch which turned on the lights on.