10/06/2023
Sandwich Village Trees To Be Lit
By MADISON SCHOFIELD Oct 4, 2023 0
GENE M. MARCHAND/ENTERPRISE
Glass Town will soon be Twinkle Town. The Sandwich Board of Selectmen has approved string lights to be strung up in trees throughout the village.
White Edison bulb string lights will be hung up in trees along Jarves Street, possibly expanding to Main Street and other parts of town in the future.
The Glass Town Cultural Steering Committee, which has been heading the project, said that lights have been purchased and are ready to be put up.
As of its last meeting on September 20, the project was just awaiting select board approval before the installation of the lights could occur.
On Thursday, September 28, the committee presented their idea to the select board and received unanimous approval.
“It’s good; it puts us on the map for something for people to come and see and hopefully drive business in the area and also have people come in and notice the great town we live in and what we have to offer,” select board chairman Shane Hoctor said.
The board also discussed how Jarves Street used to be lit many years ago with strands of lights crisscrossing the street, and this project brings some of that magic back to town.
“Not only do these soft white lights add a little bit of magic, they are also a safety enhancement,” said committee vice chairwoman Anne Scott Putney.
In the months leading up to the select board presentation, the committee has discussed how increasing lighting on the street will make walking the sidewalks safer and encourage residents and visitors to walk them longer, increasing traffic to local businesses.
The lights will be on a timer set to turn off at 9 PM, allowing visitors to enjoy the lights and explore the village for extended hours during dark winter months without staying on so late as to disrupt neighbors.
The committee is also working to finalize dates for when the lights will be on. The goal is to have the lights on during the holiday season and the summer and fall months, but exact dates have not yet been set.
The committee hopes to have the lights on and shining after Thanksgiving, but plans to join the Sandwich Chamber of Commerce celebrations during the annual holiday stroll to celebrate the lights and “flip the switch.”
To make celebrations even more festive, in addition to the white lights, a single tree will be lit with colorful LED bulbs for the holiday season. The tree will be switched back to plain white bulbs after the holidays are over.
The committee has described the lights as “a pilot project.” If all goes well, they hope to add lights to trees along Main Street and Route 6A.
In earlier stages of the project, the committee considered having special lights that would cast differently shaped shadows custom-made for the town, but decided that would have to be a project for a later date.
Specialty lights are still a possibility for an expansion of the project down the line, as the committee believes it fits with its mission of promoting art and fostering economic and cultural growth in town.
The committee has received a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to support the project, keeping the lights funded for up to two years. It hopes to continue winning grant funding to support the project in future years or possibly convince the town to add maintenance costs for the lights to the annual budget.
The next step for the project is selecting a contractor to install and maintain the lights. With select board approval, a bid request can be sent out to contractors.
Town Cultural District Steering Committee Cultural Council
