Rawlins DDA/Main Street Board of Directors, and Staff are excited to let you know that the Downtown Light Project is starting! Since we started in 2012, the goal of this project has been to install ascetically pleasing lighting in the downtown to increase safety and economic vitality. This project is moving forward due to the sponsors, the donors, the volunteers, and the attendees of the four fundraising events to fund the project. Lighting in a downtown area is not merely about illumination; it serves a multifaceted role in enhancing safety, aesthetics, economic development, and community life. It is an integral part of creating a vibrant, welcoming, and thriving downtown that benefits both residents and visitors.
Work was started with DDA staff and volunteers with initial funding at the 2012 and 2013 Passion & Pride Ball. The original scope of work was to install white twinkle lights on the top of buildings in downtown using solar panels. The project was then postponed because of the Facade Easement Project, a revitalization project that touched 36 downtown buildings. The postponement was a financial and logistics decision due to the planned facade work on the downtown buildings. Once the facade project was completed, Rawlins DDA/Main Street proceeded to move forward on the Downtown Light Project but had unforeseen hurdles such as property owner changes, a change in required documentation, supply availability and ultimately cost changes. Steps were put in place to redesign the lighting project and additional funding secured by our community at Sweet Soiree 2023 and Gem of the Downtown 2023.
Now to the present! Staff and volunteers have worked countless hours through the hurdles with an updated light installation project, as presented to City Council on October 19, 2023. City Council’s unanimous positive feedback was welcomed. Rawlins DDA/Main Street staff are working through final steps to have Phase I – Installation of changeable RGB lighting on each of the downtown decorative light poles this holiday season. Phase I will allow us to change with the seasons, the events, and the holidays for fun and supportive options. The final two Phases will take place in 2024 with additional “Edison” lighting in the intersections and entry points into the downtown. The downtown will be open for business whether you are driving through Rawlins or viewed from I-80, a beacon of light.
For more information, please contact Mira Miller, City of Rawlins Community Relations/PIO at 307-328-4500 ext. 1022. Interested in receiving news from the City? Sign up for news via email or text at www.rawlinswy.gov/notifyme under “City of Rawlins News.”
