County Christmas Tree a Holiday Gift that Keeps on Giving

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer 

When Anderson County Council approved the purchase the 28-foot Majestic Mountain Pine artificial Christmas tree in 2015, there were more than a few wondering if the news was good tidings of great joy for taxpayers.  

But as we move into fifth season with the tree, the news is merry and bright.

Anderson County, in spite of continuing to add new lights, decorations and extending the height of the tree by four feet over the past two years, has already posted a savings to the county of more than $10,000 compared to the costs of bringing in a live, cut tree each of those years.

The total expenses of the now 41-foot tall artificial tree since 2015 come in at $39,913.70. The costs related to purchase, setup, removal and disposal of a live Christmas tree on the courthouse square over the same period would have topped $50,000.  The holiday savings will continue to grow in Anderson County’s Christmas fund for another decade, since the artificial tree is under warrantee until 2030.

In 2015, some argued in favor of planting another live tree to replace the non-traditional Magnolia tree used at Christmas which was dying on the town square after being damaged by an ice storm. Experts were united that the land in front of the new courthouse was not fertile soil for a live tree to flourish, and the decision to buy artificial was made by County Council. And a Magnolia tree, while noble in its own right, is not a good choice for a Christmas tree. 

So council weighed the costs of the purchase of the artificial tree on scale with returning to the old days of buying a similarly sized live tree each holiday season. Choosing the synthetic evergreen, will continue to save green in the county’s budget for years to come. 

According to one national tree growers group, the cost of buying, transporting and hauling away a comparably sized live tree would cost approximately $6,400 each year, delivered, with additional costs for setup (based on 2019 prices), plus the cost of lights and decorations (which though not reoccurring, require most costly replacements - especially lights - which take a beating when removed from a live tree).  

Added to the annual cost of a live tree is an additional two weeks of labor costs to the county, since traditionally it has taken a full week to set up and a another week to take down a live, cut tree on the square, including the time to decorate and undecorated the tree (and the substantial cleanup). The price tag based on needed personnel totals $7,000. There are also additional setup and disposal costs related to the removal of a live 30-foot tree, which can run $1,000.

Thus the annual costs of a 30-foot live, cut tree to the the county, (assuming costs remain constant, which is unlikely), would be roughly $14,400 per year. Over 15 years, live trees on the county square would have pulled $216,000 from the county budget. 

The artificial tree takes less than three days to setup and decorate, cutting labor costs by more than half. 

Instead, the county purchased a 28-foot Majestic Mountain Pine, fully decorated and lighted artificial tree for $25,000 in 2015. That tree, which has been wildly popular with citizens, is expected to deck the downtown halls for close to two decades. 

Based on current pricing and labor rates, the total cost of a cut, live tree, including purchase, transportation and all labor costs, would total roughly $216,000 over the years 2015-2030. This cost does not include replacement of lights and ornaments. Add this average cost of around $2,000 and the costs jumps to $240,000.

The cost, including labor and maintenance and updates for the current artificial tree (including planned upgrades), will total roughly $85,000 over those same two 15 years, including routine replacement of lights and ornaments.

Saving more than $155,000 over 15 holiday seasons with a tree that would be difficult to match in any form is something even old Scrooge himself would have trouble criticizing. And the tree, if other municipalities which have purchased the same item are any indication, will likely last another decade past the warranty, pushing the savings out for years.

The current tree, which is a sight to behold, has also captured the holiday imaginations of locals. 

The popularity and increased traffic downtown from the visitors coming to see the tree has been remarkable. Many of whom come to see the tree, stay to eat downtown or visit Carolina Wren Park’s Holiday Ice to skate. School groups, church groups, families are regularly seen gathering around the tree taking photographs. Some have been married there. The tree has also been a spot where visitors regularly leave warm clothing, scarves, hats and gloves for the less fortunate. 

The official annual ceremony officially kicking off the Christas season downtown is set for Friday, and this year there will quite a few extras at the event. (More to come). 

The big, beautiful, artificial Christmas tree downtown is a gift that keeps on giving, thanks to forward thinking by leadership in Anderson County. 

So if you see your county council representative this holiday season, thank them. And thank Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns, who loves Christmas perhaps as much as I do (and that is a bit disturbing to some since I start listening to holiday tunes in August). It was his vision and research that led to the path to purchase the tree.