While it may not be the Christmas season yet, there appears to be a spirit of “Bah Humbug” already, at least when it comes to decorating the Marion County Courthouse.
Beat 1 Supervisor Eugene “Blue” Green said Monday that Nik Ingram, Director of Main Street, Inc. and part of Experience Columbia LLC, contacted Green about the lights. Green said Ingram wanted to address the rumors of Green being against having the courthouse decorated in Christmas lights.
“It’s not necessarily against lights on the courthouse. It’s a safety thing,” Green to Ingram.
Kristian Agoglia with Experience Columbia LLC said lighting up the courthouse at Christmas time is something his company loves to give to the community.
“The courthouse represents all of Marion County,” Agoglia said Tuesday.
Green said that the building is beautiful, but it is old. However, considering the building is manmade, sooner or later it is going to tear up, he said. For that reason only, Green said he is against the lights on the courthouse.
As a professional decorator, Agoglia has been over lighting the Montauk Point Lighthouse in New York for several years. The structure was commissioned by George Washington in 1796.
Green also said with technology nowadays there has to be better ways to light up the courthouse without having to put lights on the structure. Ingram acknowledged there are ways, but it would be more expensive. Green said if they would go the other route, he would not have a problem with it.
“My only concern is you are going to burn it one day,” Green said to Ingram.
Green also discussed the holes that were burned into the roof of the courthouse last year because of the fireworks. Ingram said they are moving the fireworks further back this year. Ingram also told Green that there are firemen and a firetruck on hand at all times.
The supervisor then referenced the January 1990 fire that destroyed several businesses housed in the Kalil building on South High School Ave., including L & W Glass, a company Green owned at the time.
“I’m not knocking nobody, but we are not a big city. We don’t have all the fancy stuff everyone else got. They did the best they could,” Green said in response of the fire department regarding the 1990 fire.
He said he feels that is how it will be if the courthouse catches fire. Green said the fire department will do the best it can and the courthouse will burn straight to the ground. Then the people in Marion County are going to hate everyone for letting that happened.
“Therefore, I will not vote to light the courthouse,” Green said Monday.
Regarding the constituents in Beat 1, Green said he has had four phone calls from people telling him to stick to his guns.
Green said in his district a lot of the people are not worried about Main Street, Christmas lights or a ballfield. They are worried about roads and bridges. Green said for every one person who bragged about the lights, he had 10 people who said the roads and bridges should come first. He said he is not trying to be hard-nosed, but once roads and bridges are taken care of, then there can be discussion of a ballfield.
“I am in rural Marion County, Beat 1. City folks wants to rule everything, and that is not the way it is supposed to be. It is supposed to be for everybody,” Green said.
Green said it is going to burn one day and wanted to know what everyone was going to do when it happened. To Green, it is a safety concern.
Green said the building is beautiful and if something happened to it, it would never be built back to its beauty.
“That’s the only reason I am against Christmas lights,” he said.
Green also said if he is overruled when the supervisors vote on the matter and the supervisors are asked to help pay for the matter, he will also vote against helping pay for the lights.
“Roads and bridges first,” Green said.
Beat 4 Supervisor Raymon “Tater” Rowell said he talked to Ingram Monday morning as well.
“I told him we had not made a decision on that yet,” Rowell said.
Rowell said it would be discussed at a board meeting, and Ingram was welcomed to attend the meeting and discuss it with the supervisors.
Beat 5 Supervisor Calvin Newsom on Monday said he was all for decorating the courthouse. He feels like the Christmas lights are not hurting anything.
Agoglia also said for the past two years they have enjoyed the unity of both the Marion County Board of Supervisors and the Columbia Board of Aldermen as Experience Columbia LLC has put together a family friendly celebration in downtown Columbia, drawing people from all over.
Beat 2 Supervisor John Moree concurred with Green’s opinion in calling it a fire and safety hazard.
“I think they ought to put a tree out in front of the courthouse and light it up. I am all for that,” Moree said.
Moree said he wasn’t against Christmas but as expensive of a structure the courthouse is, he was against people walking on the roof and attaching lights to it.
Board President and Beat 3 Supervisor Tony Morgan said he was all for the lights.
“I love the lights and am all for it,” Morgan said.
Morgan said the supervisors have not discussed it but are scheduled to do so at their next meeting.
Agoglia said he hopes the supervisors would remember their constituents in their districts, especially with all the time and manpower involved.
“It has been a tough year, and it has been a tough decision for Experience Columbia to decide whether to move forward with the event. But so many people have reached out from all over in hopes of a lit up downtown,” Agoglia said.
He also said it is the company’s hope to have the support from the county, city and community again this year.
Last December during the Christmas celebration, the city brought in $84,383 into the tourism tax fund alone.
The Marion County Board of Supervisors will meet on Monday, Oct. 19 at 9:30 a.m. at the Marion County Supervisors Boardroom.
Editor’s note: The City of Columbia voted overwhelmingly to approve a 3% tourism tax on food and lodging in the city May 6, 2019. Proceeds of the tourism tax are to be used for tourism such as downtown events and also the construction of a sportsplex.
