by Victoria Howell
Local business owner Jimmy Edwards had a vision for his hometown of Stevensville. He wanted to create a more welcoming entrance to the downtown area. Now, after several years of planning and fundraising, his vision has become a reality with the installation of lights on the pathway along the Stevensville Cut-off Road, between the Forest Service property to just past the entrance to Fort Owen.
Sixteen night-sky-friendly solar lights have been installed and are now functional.
Edwards, who owns Burnt Fork Market in Stevensville, said he couldn’t have done the project without the help of a number of other local businesses and sponsors. He especially wanted to thank TJ Fite, owner of Remote Power Systems, a local electrical contractor. Fite donated all the work to install the solar lights, which would have been a major expense. He was also appreciative of the help he got from county officials Greg Chilcott and John Horat, who helped with necessary permitting.
TJ Fite (on tractor), Keegan Fite and Logan Jenne, with Remote Power Systems, put the finishing touches on one of the night-sky-friendly solar lights that now illuminate the walking path into Stevensville. Photo by Jimmy Edwards.
The project represents many thousands of dollars. In addition to donations from multiple businesses and individuals, Edwards organized an annual brewfest during the Stevensville Scarecrow Festival, with all proceeds going towards the lighting project.
Edwards said the response has been very positive.
“People seem very interested and very positive about the project,” said Edwards. “We’re getting a lot of good comments.”
More lights are planned, due in part to the great response. Edwards said another 16 could be installed in the future, along the remainder of the path, hopefully by fall of next year.
Now he has to think about how to raise the additional funds for more lights. He said he might even bring back the Scarecrow Brewfest, which didn’t happen this past year. He said he’s also looking at other fun ways to raise the money.
Anyone interested in donating to the next phase of lighting can email Jimmy at: browntroutlm@gmail.com.
“I think that when people see how good the lights look, there will be even more support,” said Edwards.
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