Do you like the old-school Christmas decorations in Belleville? They are on the way out
Move over old-school Christmas decorations.
Less than a month after hanging them, Belleville city work crews are taking down the same lighted, garland decorations that have adorned utility poles on Main Street and Illinois Street for years. They’re replacing the old candy canes and Santa Clauses with new, LED Christmas light decorations.
The change is being made after an anonymous donor agreed to pay $70,800 for the new decorations, according to Jason Poole, the director of the city’s Public Works Department.
“We had somebody interested in purchasing some so we bought 150 new LED, frame-style decorations,” Poole said.
“They look pretty good at night,” Poole said of the LED displays.
The LED displays feature a snowflake, reindeer, star, holly leaf and Christmas tree.
In 2020, the city received a donation of $25,000 for 20 wreath displays for utility poles.
Poole said the city’s oldest decorations are the ones being removed and replaced by the LED displays. These older decorations will be sold after Poole gets approval from the City Council to declare them as surplus property. For more information, contact the Public Works Department at 618-239-3454.
The city would replace the burnt out bulbs on the old decorations each fall and Poole said some were in “bad” condition.
This story was originally published December 8, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
