Locust Walk lights to end their seasonal reign

The winter holidays may be long gone, but some of their most luminous attributes are just beginning to be stowed away.

Seasonal lights were installed on the branches of Locust Walk's trees in November, roughly coinciding with the beginning of daylight saving time.

Now underway, their removal operation -- performed by a University team of electricians -- will take about two or three weeks, said Facilities Services Director of Central Services Mike Coleman.

This year's lights are of the starburst type -- twinkle lights on a frame. There is one power unit that connects all the lights on the branches along a single line.

Facilities officials said that this solution offers as much aesthetic pleasure as last year's illuminations -- a series of wires that enveloped most of the branches -- but are quicker to install, easier to remove and more cost-efficient.

"There were twinkle lights before, but they were more confusing to put up and manage because they intertwined with the branches," according to University Landscape Architect Bob Lundgren.

He added that University President Judith Rodin's "office wanted to do something different this year" and chose these starburst lights as an appropriate alternative.

Light globes were also set up in City Hall and in Rittenhouse Square for the duration of the winter holidays by city workers. This style on campus may represent a further step toward integrating the University community with Center City, according to Facilities officials.

Another reason for the elimination of the string-style illuminations used in previous years was the well-being of the trees themselves.

Last year's decorations were strings that if left on the branches for a long time, could "girdle the trees" as they grew, Lundgren said. "The wire doesn't give," he added.

Facilities officials have said that the seasonal lights also add to the illumination of an area of campus that is highly traveled until the early hours of the morning.

While the lights are not intended to contribute to heightened safety standards, they can be considered an addition to the effort University City District is making to increase the amount of proper illumination in the streets of the surrounding neighborhood.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.