Funny you should ask: Why is Xcel pulling the plug on our holiday cheer?

I'm sure by now you've heard the news: Xcel Energy has informed us that this will be the last year for the Christmas wreath lights and the flags to be hung on the poles on Second and Dallas Streets. Citing safety issues and referencing the National Electric Safety Code, the “Bible” of the electrical utility industry that every state except California refers to, everything must come down – holiday lights, banners, hanging flower pots and even Old Glory on Second Street. (Carl Cooley did a very informative article about this matter that was published in the Wednesday, November 1 issue of the Chetek Alert see Xcel Energy to Prohibit Flags.)

She is a grand old flag

Understandably, there's been a reasonably loud hue and cry about this. After all, the lights are pretty much brand new having been bought and donated to the city by the Friends of Holiday Lights for Chetek citizen committee in 2015. And the flags? Well, they've been hanging on those poles on Second and Dallas Streets pretty much as long as anyone can remember. What will Liberty Fest look like if the parade route is decidedly absent of the Stars and Stripes?

"Strings of street lights..."

First of all, we have to remember this: we don't own the poles. Xcel Energy does. I don't know how many street lights and utility poles there are within the city limits but Xcel owns every last one of 'em. Except, of course, the four light poles out on the long bridge. We learned this the hard way when a summer ago one of them just keeled over, the bottom totally rusted out. Fortunately no one was hurt but when Public Works Director Dan Knapp called Xcel to let them know that one of their poles went down he was informed that in actuality while the State owned the bridge and the county maintained it, the poles belonged to us. At $10,000 a piece those are some light poles. But beyond that, the rest of the poles in town are theirs and so therefore we have to abide by their rules.

Does this affect, say, other municipalities like Barron and Rice Lake? Actually it doesn't because both these neighboring cities have their own utility company. Not us.

Here's a wreath that will have to be moved

But here's the good news. Right before Christmas, Dan and I met with Xcel Energy representative Larry Loverude to discuss this matter and were pleased to learn that (just like Carl reported in his November 1^st article) that we can keep our holiday lights after all. Xcel, in fact, allows decorations on street lights “but only if they don't have power distribution lines on them” (quoting Carl's article). In our case of the 25 lighted wreaths only four of them are currently posted on poles that are “hot”. Dan and the guys will have to relocate those four wreaths but next year things should pretty much look the same as they always do at Christmastime. That's a relief.

Some new arrangement will have to be worked out

And what about the flags? Well, that's another matter. Technically, the Chamber of Commerce is the one that finances and puts up the flags so they'll have to work things out with Xcel. Larry brought in a catalog of sorts featuring ground-mounted flags but that, of course, won't work downtown. There was some thought about various businesses purchasing mounts for the side of their building as well but again those are Chamber-issues that for the time being we'll leave to them.

It's just my opinion but looking forward, we ought to decorate those four poles we own out on the bridge and, say, deck out Main Street Park to the nines as well. Several people called Carmen when the news broke that Xcel was pulling the plug on our holiday lights and if you were one of those folks you may be hearing from me soon to get your input on keeping our city looking festive and bright.