By Dennis Volkert
Official unveiling took place Tuesday for the “Electric City” lighting project in downtown Sturgis.
Jeff Coney, community development specialist, was pleased with the turnout.
“It went extremely well,” Coney said. “The lights fired up as scheduled and the group that gathered were very happy with the results. We also had a number of community members that were hanging out on the street waiting to see them light up. As the evening went on and it got darker, they got bold. They look amazing! I’m very happy with the results.”
In a related aspect of the project, Heidi Wolfe continued work this week painting murals on the exterior of the pump house, south of Sturges-Young Center for the Arts. The west side wall declares “You Are Electric.” The east side wall has the same design, with Spanish wording “Tu Eres Electrico.”
Prior to Wolfe’s portion of the project, Travis Klinger cleaned and prepped the exterior, and painted the pinwheel background as a base coat.
The mural project requires about two weeks of work Wolfe said. The unit will have interior lighting that shows through small windows on the wall and through a skylight. Byler Electric will add the power and lighting for the building within the coming weeks, Coney said. The goal is to have all those details complete by Thanksgiving, he said. An additional feature planned for the pump house site is a food-truck hub.
Byler also provided electrical work for the downtown LED lighting.
An additional feature, Archways for “Electric Alley,” are under construction through Miller Sign Company, Coney said.
“They have been fantastic to work with and we are excited for the final product,” Coney said.
Affordable Equipment Rental donated lifts for light installation, at a major discount, he said.
“They were quick to respond if and when there were issues with the machines and ended up leaving the lifts an extra week for the installers to button up the project,” Coney said.
Electric City illumination is funded entirely through donations. Community contributions came through a Patronicity campaign, which raised $50,000. Newell A. and Grace A. Franks Fund has committed more than $125,000.
Franks Fund made an additional donation to extend lighting almost 500 more lineal feet throughout various areas.
Sturgis Improvement Association donated money to light the front of 104-106 N. Nottawa St., to complete the Nottawa entrance onto Chicago Road, Coney said.
The concept for the project has been ongoing for several years, starting with discussion involving Sturgis Downtown Development Authority and local business owners.
