The Municipality of Wawa is taking responsibility for the decorative goose and holiday lights in town.
As the Wawa Business Improvement Area has indicated it's no longer within the BIA's ability to put up and maintain the lights, Wawa Municipal Council has approved a resolution to accept the transfer of the assets - Community Services and Tourism Director Alex Patterson assures "Christmas will not be cancelled" and "preliminary moves" have been made to ensure the holiday lights do go up this year.
Last night's resolution also authorizes an "initial capital investment" of up to $25,000, which Patterson says is because of concerns about the condition of the lights, one of the reasons the BIA asked the municipality to assume responsibility.
Patterson notes he had about $2500 left over in the parks budget for beautification - which will go toward covering the $25,000 - while the BIA will provide $7000 to repair the existing lights and purchase new energy efficient lights, with the rest coming from municipal reserves.
The BIA has also committed to fund and pay the monthly hydro bill for the lights, as long as the organization exists.
As for future years, the resolution passed last night directs staff to create an operating budget for the Beautification of Broadway Avenue starting with the 2019 budget - a move Patterson says will help with transparency.
Patterson says community input will be needed to determine what the community wants from "beautification", working closely with and possibly expanding the scope of the Beautification Committee, which is responsible for many of the flowers along Broadway Avenue.