A mock-up version of the 60-inch holiday wreath that received the most votes in a recent community poll was displayed at Monday night’s Hellertown Borough Council meeting.
The results of a recent Survey Monkey online poll that asked residents and business owners to vote for their choice of holiday decoration for light poles along Main Street in Hellertown have been tabulated, and the clear winner was a 60-inch green wreath with a large red bow, three candles in the center and LED lights all around it.
Based on those results, Hellertown Borough Council members voted unanimously to approve the popular vote-winning design, instantly making obsolete dozens of white multi-pointed lit stars that have been used to decorate about 60 light poles for the past 11 years.
When council members voted to approve the wreath design Monday, they opted to illuminate it with a brighter, whiter LED light bulb, with councilman Herb Payung being the only member to favor a “softer, warmer” LED lighting option.
More than 250 people took the survey earlier this summer, which also asked community members whether they would be willing to contribute to help purchase the decorations, since the borough has less than half the funding it needs to afford them.
More than 70 percent of survey respondents said they wouldn’t contribute, but council president Tom Rieger expressed optimism that once a fundraising campaign is begun people will step up and donate to help purchase the decorations.
Each wreath including mounting hardware will cost approximately $466, based on a mock-up that was prepared by Rileigh’s of Allentown for the council meeting.
Although costlier than a similar 50-inch wreath, Rieger said the company that manufactures the wreaths recommended the 60-inch version to the borough because of how far up the poles they need to be mounted per PennDOT regulations.
The unusually high mounting requirement is what caused an optical distortion that at street level made the stars look rounded, some observers have stated in the past.
Because of the total cost of the project–approximately $26,000–it will be put out to bid.
The borough has about $12,000 to put toward the purchase of the wreaths, and will need to raise the rest of the funds from donors and sponsors in the coming months.
Borough manager Cathy Hartranft said a sponsorship form with various levels will be prepared and distributed to help with that.
Mayor Richard Fluck also requested that a sample wreath be mounted on a pole on Main Street so members of the community can see what it looks like.
