Old Town Christmas Tree Committee responds to questions

Dear Willow Springs community,

 

Following the recent article about our effort to purchase a new community Christmas tree for Willow Springs, we have seen a number of questions about the project. We appreciate the interest and would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little more about what we are working toward and clear up a few misunderstandings.

 

First and foremost, the City of Willow Springs is not purchasing this $15,000 Christmas tree. The Old Town Christmas Tree Committee is an independent group of local citizens raising the entire amount through donations and fundraising. The City supports our efforts and, once the tree is purchased, has agreed to assist with its installation each Christmas season.

 

We certainly understand why $15,000 may sound like a lot of money for a Christmas tree. However, what we are purchasing is not an ordinary artificial tree like you might find in a retail store. It is an 18-foot-tall commercial-grade Christmas tree designed specifically for repeated use in a public setting. The package includes commercial lighting, ornaments designed so they cannot simply be removed, and the necessary hardware to properly secure and stabilize the tree. It is designed to meet the requirements for installation in a public setting and comes with a 10-year warranty.

 

Several people have asked why we don't simply cut a large tree from the woods, plant a live tree, or construct one ourselves using pipe, wire, wood and greenery. While those ideas may initially be less expensive, placing an 18-foot Christmas tree in a public park brings with it considerations that we don't normally have with a tree in our own yard. It must be properly secured, able to withstand outdoor conditions, meet applicable requirements, and not create an unnecessary liability for the community. A homemade tree would not provide the engineering, warranty, longevity, or assurances that come with a commercial product designed for this purpose.

 

The tree will not remain standing year-round. It will be installed for the Christmas season and taken down afterward so that it can be stored and reused year after year. Its planned home will be Wendell Bailey Park, between the Star Theater and Coulter Heating & Cooling, where we hope it can become a centerpiece of Christmas in downtown Willow Springs.

 

We also want to clarify an important point concerning other needs in our community. Money donated to this project is not money being taken away from the city's budget or from other city projects. The committee is raising these funds specifically for the Christmas tree through voluntary donations. We recognize that Willow Springs has many needs and worthwhile causes, and this project is not intended to diminish any of them.

 

So why are we doing this?

 

Our hope is to create something that becomes more than simply a Christmas decoration. We envision families gathering around the tree, children seeing it lit for the first time, Christmas programs and community events taking place nearby, and people stopping downtown to take photographs and enjoy the season. We hope that, over time, lighting the community Christmas tree becomes another Willow Springs tradition, one that today's children may someday bring their own children back to enjoy.

 

This is an investment we hope our community will enjoy not just for one Christmas, but for many Christmases to come.

 

We appreciate everyone who has asked questions, offered ideas, donated, or simply taken an interest in what we are trying to accomplish. We would also like to thank those who have already helped us reach most of our $15,000 goal. We are almost there!

 

This project is completely dependent upon those who choose to support it. No one is obligated to donate, but for those who share our vision of creating a special Christmas tradition for Willow Springs, every contribution—large or small—brings us another step closer.

 

We hope that when the lights finally come on for the first time, the tree will belong not to our committee, but to Willow Springs.

 

The Old Town Christmas Tree Committee

Peggy Brown, Alex Biehl, Jimalee James, Elise Hageman