Little towns big heart gets shocked by Power Company

If you saw some peoples faces in town look like they were in shock, they probably belonged to the Littleton Beautification Committee.  The committee has been working for years to make Downtown Littleton a little more seasonal and festive.  They recently were shocked by how much it will cost to continue the tradition.  

In the past they have overcome one surprise after another in the process. New Sioux Crepe Myrtle trees that they thought could be planted by hand ended up weighing about 650 pounds and could only be planted using a backhoe.  Local business people and the town’s people came to the rescue with money, equipment and helping hands to overcome this problem.

When it came time for the Christmas lights to go up, they found out that it needed new wiring and new receptacles.  Once again businesses and people in the town came to the rescue and were able to make sure Littleton was the most beautiful city around during the holidays.

Now a new situation has arisen that has shocked everyone involved with trying to keep the town festive.  Due to changes in the law and insurance regulations the Beautification Committee was told that it will cost $27,500 to make the necessary electrical changes for the Christmas lights and the annual festival electrical hook ups..

Progress Energy has turned off the lights to the ground level receptacles downtown because they are not installed with a meter and up to code. This plight concerns the leads that feed the ground level receptacles in the downtown area of Littleton. In addition to holiday lighting and business concerns, this problem could affect the Littleton-Lake Gaston Festival on 29-30 August, which would, in turn affect businesses in Littleton.

Now the committee is seeking help from anyone who can provide it.  There are people looking into seeing if the power has any way of helping with the cost.  Other people are looking into whether or not the Golden Leaf foundation has any provisions for these type of situations.  If you have any ideas or know someone who can help it is time to get involved.

Anyone interested in helping with this project should contact Sally Hawfield, Chairperson Littleton Beautification Committee, 586-4633, or Judith Forrest, President, Littleton Woman’s Club, judithforrest@gmail.com.