The face of the holidays will be getting a facelift in the city as Yorkton Council voted unanimously to replace its street decorations a year ahead of schedule.
"The vast majority of the City's Christmas decorations are over 40 years old," said Trent Mandzuk, Director of Public Works with the City.
A report circulated to Council outlined that, "every year, approximately $5,000 is spent on refurbishing Christmas trees but due to their age and annual wear and tear, replacement of these items is long overdue."
The steel frames of the existing trees are in very poor condition (cracking/rusted) and are extremely heavy, added Mandzuk,
New decorations would be smaller and lighter. This would eliminate the need for renting zoom boom ($1,000/yr) and new decorations could be put up with the Fleet's bucket truck, he noted, adding less manpower would be required for installation and removal.
"New decorations would also be equipped with LED lighting," said Mandzuk, adding they will consume less power. It is estimated that $10,000 per year could be saved in operational costs.
Mandzuk said $40,000 had been allocated in the 2015 budget to replace the decorations.
But Monday it was recommended funds be withdrawn from street lighting reserves to purchase the decorations now, and then repay the reserve from the 2015 capital allocation.
