Organizers of a popular drive-through holiday lights display in the Township of Langley say the event could be in jeopardy amid a dispute with the municipality.
The Christmas in Williams Park Society says it’s been told by the township that city staff won’t be made available to set up and take down lights and decorations this year, something they have done for the last five years.
Society board member Angela Verleur said the notification came in a Sept. 11 letter from the township’s manager of parks operations, and that it’s left them with not enough time to find enough volunteers to get the work done.
“We are just a small society run by volunteers, and we really look for any type of help, support, from the township from the previous years, which they have abided by, and they’ve been fantastic at, so this is quite a blow to us,” she said.
“All of a sudden it feels as if the rug has been taken out from underneath us, and its not fair.”
Township of Langley Mayor Eric Woodward said the issue is being swamped with misinformation on social media, and that no formal decision has been made.
The matter is set for discussion at a Monday council meeting, he said, adding that the event costs the city more than $55,000 per year.
“Which would amount to one of our largest grants throughout the entire Township of Langley, so I think it’s appropriate for council to have a look at it now that staff have indicated it’s not something they can fund without council approval,” Woodward said.
“It certainly can continue. The Township of Langley is not charging any rent at Williams Park; it provides the electricity for free, provides the venue, completely no cost to the society.”
Woodward said he didn’t understand why organizers waited more than a month to raise the issue, after parks management notified them.
The city has also cited complaints from some neighbours about traffic and idling vehicles associated with the event.
Woodward said city staff are also set to present options for an alternative walking event in a more accessible part of the township.
“The Williams Park venue is very small compared to some of the other venues out there, so I think it’s possible there could be multiple Christmas events, which would be a great thing,” he said.
Verleur, meanwhile, said event organizers no longer have the contact information for volunteers and organizations that helped before the city took over event setup and teardown.
She said the society is scrambling, but there is real fear the event may not happen this year.
“We have seniors, we have people with disabilities that cannot do the walk, that need a vehicle-accessible drive-through — some of the larger Christmas events you might see actually cost quite a bit, and we don’t charge anything, it’s all by donation,” she said.
“The families are quite upset and they are quite irate about it. They are devastated, some of them, because this is something they look forward to.”
Woodward said he’s hoping cooler heads prevail, and that people wait until the issue has been discussed at council next week.
“I think it’s a great event, but again, it’s not a Township of Langley event, and I think that’s an important distinction,” he said.
We want to work with societies that want to work with us, rather than go on social media and call us Grinches.”
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