ORANGE BEACH – It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Already.

The Orange Beach City Council put out bid specifications to buy new holiday lights to be displayed around the city during Christmas time. Councilwoman Pattisue Simpson made the suggestion to the council on July 10.

Bids to fulfill the city’s needs will be opened on Aug. 2 at 11:30 a.m. Simpson said the lights could cost between $25,000 and $50,000. Some will be new, some will be refurbished.

“It started out at $15,000 to $30,000 based on what we were looking at,” Simpson said. “After talking with Ken (Grimes) and talking about the sleigh ride and some of the things we can do at the entrance of Orange Beach on beach road from Gulf Shores, if the council would consider between $25,000 and $50,000 hoping it will come in less.”

Simpson said she began thinking about new lights when other local groups began promoted the city as a holiday destination.

“I know we’ve been talking about doing something and refurbishing our Christmas lights and with the chamber encouraging and getting being the Coastal Christmas I thought this would be a good time for us to go ahead and add some lights,” she said. “When I went to the League of Municipalities convention I spoke to everyone that had Christmas lights. I stopped and got some information. And I got with Clara (Myers) and got some numbers.”

Myers is the city’s finance director.

“What we had now, what it would take to repair them as well as potential new prices for buying new ones,” Simpson said. “Before the end of the budgeting talks and before we decide on new ones, what I’d like to point out right now at the end of June we up just over a million dollars in revenue. And we haven’t gotten to the two big months of July and August. Hopefully we’ll have great months then and that will give us some extra revenue.”

Simpson said there are other funds the city hasn’t used and could be applied toward the holiday decorations.

“Also, we haven’t hired an events center coordinator that we budgeted $60,000 for and we’re already half way through the year now that’s still $30,000 we would have now,” she said. “I think there’s money there that we can use to run down some more lights.”

The old lights, Simpson said, would be fixed and refurbished and used on Canal Road from The Wharf to the art center. The new ones would be placed along Alabama 161 from Canal Road to the Beach road.

“You wouldn’t want to just stop on 161 and just make it black down Canal Road,” Simpson said. “We’ll work with the budget and see what kind of bids we get.”

Also, Simpson said, maybe the effort will spur businesses and condo developments to spruce up their holiday decorations.

“If we show the businesses that we’re spending money and we’re going to do a great Christmas decoration on the street, then maybe we could challenge the condos to do something higher off of some of their balconies,” she said. There were some other things that were way under budget so far and I just really hope the council will consider making Orange Beach a part of the Coastal Christmas.”

Her requests found a good reception from council members and Mayor Tony Kennon.

“You had me at Christmas decorations,” Kennon said. “They’re 10 years old. I think during Christmas it’s important that we do a good job and I just like it. It’s a quality of life issue.”