One of the original streetlights still hangs over Carson Street in Genoa.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
No one is in a hurry to take down the original streetlights purchased to illuminate Nevada’s oldest town a century ago.
NV Energy Senior Government Strategy Advisor Christina Bailey said the company doesn’t have any immediate plans to tackle the nine streetlights purchased with money raised at the first Candy Dance.
She told town board members that the company would work with the town to find the best way to protect and preserve the lights.
The lights are installed on wooden poles that do not meet NV Energy’s fire protection standards because they are considered decorative attachments.
Bailey said that the company’s current focus is Lake Tahoe, which has the largest risk of wildfire.
She said after Tahoe’s done, the company will evaluate communities with high fire dangers around the area, which is when the streetlights may be removed and relocated.
When it does come time to tackle the streetlights, the town does have the option of installing separate meters for them on decorative poles. Once the lights are on meters, they would be considered separate from the power company’s grid.
The company caused a stir last spring when it informed the town that it planned to take down the lights as part of its fire issues.
Bailey estimated that the largest expense would be replacing the poles.
The lights have illuminated Genoa’s streets for 102 years. Native Bill Brooks said he believes a key issue is that the 200-watt incandescent bulbs used in the lights only last 10 months.
He suggested the town replaces the bulbs with LEDs which would increase the time between changes.
Genoa is in Tier 3 along with Lake Tahoe and much of the Carson Range. The town was under a public safety outage warning twice last summer due to high winds. The company did shut off power above Jacks Valley Road near the Genoa Lakes Ranch Course.
After missing a year due to the coronavirus outbreak, Candy Dance roared back to life, cracking $350,000 in gross revenues, according to Town Manager Matt Bruback.
According to the town, that’s a record with a net profit of $172,062, or around $20,000 over the previous record of $152,000.
The deadline for vendors to pre-register was Wednesday with around 200 already signed up in November with full payment.
Booth fees from the annual craft fair account for the majority of the revenue raised at Candy Dance. The annual craft fair raises around 65 percent of the town’s budget.
