Budget Cuts Forcing Chicago To Downsize Christmas Tree

Chicago's deep budget crisis is forcing some unusual cuts this holiday season, even to one of the most venerable traditions -- the city's Christmas tree.

For decades, the city's Office of Special Events has splurged to build a mammoth Christmas tree in Daley Plaza out of more than one hundred smaller ones bound together. This year, the city is scrapping the super tree in favor a single 55-foot tree that could save taxpayers as much as $250,000.

The Weivoda family of Palos Heights was thinking of cutting down its blue spruce to clear space on an acre of property they own. The family offered the tree to the city, which happily accepted it.

"We were looking for a tree,'' spokeswoman Mary May told the Chicago Sun-Times. "It was the prettiest that we found.''

Last year's tree, which was 85-feet-high, took weeks to build and cost the city about $300,000, according to CBS 2. This year, the city also landed a $100,000 from corporate sponsor Underwriters Laboratories, which will cover the 7,000 LED lights that will drape the tree.

It will be the first time since 1955 that Chicago will have a single Christmas tree, according to the AP.

Comments

[magician2416]

I work at UL.
It is nice to know that not only did we have a pay freeze this year (no raises), but now we are spending $100k for a Christmas Tree in the big city 25 miles away.
Holiday/Th­anksgiving parties are cancelled this year, but instead all employees can attend the lighting ceremony for free admission.... and $25 parking for 4 hours.
yipee

[PkSully]

Math check: Last year it cost $300k. This year we start with a $100 k donation and a free tree and may save $250k. Bringing the tree from Palos, putting lights on it and getting it to stand up straight costs a total of approx $150,000! That's par for the course in the city of $90 cases of Pepsi.

[ejhickey]

Good post .. I am glad they are spending less but am still wondering how they got up to $150K.

[WisdomFirst]

Wow. Am I the ONLY one to pick up on the irony here of an article that refers to this tree as a "Christmas tree"? For years, the battle has raged on between those who decry the presence of a Christmas tree on public property, claiming it's a violation of the separation of church and state, and those who have no problem with it. To quell the dissent, the city government has always claimed that this is not a CHRISTMAS tree; it's a HOLIDAY tree.

But now, just as with all glorious farces, we finally see that the emperor, in the end, really does have no clothes. Kind of reminds me how Illinois pushed the Illinois Lottery through by claiming that a majority of the receipts would go to fund the public schools. Look where that got us.

[CommunistUtopia]

That is good analysis WisdomFirst.

[PkSully]

I don't see how it matters whether you call it a holiday tree or a christmas tree. It's the same thing either way and everyone knows it represents Christmas, the greatest holiday retailers ever invented.

[CommunistUtopia]

As big of a disaster as the Daley budget is, he should consult Charlie Brown and get one tree for the Christmas decoration.

[sheaintsayin]

Nice donation - I love repurposing, reusing, recycling!

Note to other financially struggling municipalities: do not hesitate to forgo the unnecessary displays of excess and irresponsibility with the people's money, this year and always!

[Aldyth]

A very reasonable way to economise.

[mphalen]

Go away Daley. We don't need you selling off our city's assets anymore. And we don't need anymore wrought iron fences or flowers in the middle of our roads. And we certainly don't need life perservers on our bridges since we don't have anybody falling in the river. I have always wondered which relative or crony of Daley's owned that life perserver company.

[mratcheson]

So you don't like the idea of a real tree in Daley Plaza?

[WisdomFirst]

Trees, yes. Gingko trees, oak trees, weeping willows -- how about a representative sample of the kinds of trees that are native to our region, so that visitors can view them and go, "Oh, interesting -- trees that are native to this region. How clever for the City of Chicago to have provided this exhibit"? Christian -- er, Christmas trees? I think not.

[NICELYDONE]

WOW.... At least they are still calling it a Christmas Tree

[IrisMozenter]

And remind me, why are we spending $300k in the first place for a religious symbol? People who want Christmas trees should feel free to have them in their own homes.

[mratcheson]

It'll be nicer.