City purchases Christmas decorations

The dimly lit downtown streets didn’t quite seem like Russellville during the 2009 Christmas season.

For years, Christmas decorations hung from each street light pole along Jackson Avenue from just after Thanksgiving until New Year’s.

But with the ongoing streetscape project underway last year, city crews were unable to hang the decorations. Now that portion of the project is complete, city officials hope to give the city a new look this Christmas.

The city council voted Monday to spend $24,986 for new decorations that will adorn each light post throughout downtown. The decorations will include a lit Christmas wreath with ornamental garland wrapped around the poles.

Councilmen William Nale and Gary Cummings said they would like to find a way to use the old decorations, including looking at the possibility of placing them along U.S. 43. That will require approval from the Alabama Department of Transportation.

Street superintendent Roy Price said he looked at whether or not the old decorations could be used on the new light posts, but they could not.

“They either hang up in the light or they are too low to the ground where people can reach up and touch them,” he told the council Monday.

The council looked at only purchasing the wreaths without the decorative pole wrapping, but decided to move forward with both.

“I don’t think it would live up to people’s expectations if we halfway do it,” Mayor Troy Oliver said.

City Councilman Jeff Masterson voted against the purchase of the lights, but not because he did not want them, he said.

“I would like to decorate the city of Russellville with Christmas lights on every pole and in every storefront window, but we have been telling our schools that we can’t afford to properly fund them and telling our employees that we can’t give them a raise,” Masterson said.

“I just don’t see how I can vote to spend $25,000 on lights with our city hurting the way it is.”

In other business, the council:

• adopted the 2011 foster grandparent program’s budget

• approved a $10,212.20 appropriation to the foster grandparent program

• waived the rental fee for the foster grandparent program to use the A.W. Todd Center for its Christmas banquet

• amended the contract with North Alabama Paving for increased costs on the turn lane at Underwood Road and U.S. 43

• passed a resolution declaring Oct. 25 as “Care Enough to Wear Pink” day

• approved a contract with Robert Pace to receive “single” insurance as a retiree

• declared Oct. 30 as the day to observe Halloween in Russellville.