Trees along two downtown Foley streets will be lighting up to improve the appearance and illumination in the area.

The Foley City Council approved a proposal to add halo lighting on six trees on East Laurel Avenue in front of the City Hall complex. The city will also add lighting to trees on South Alston Street, starting near Orange Avenue.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the lighting, which will shine down from lights in the tree branches, will be a major improvement for the area.

“We’re doing halo lighting on our old oak trees on Alston Street that will add ambient lighting. With the new businesses coming into that area, it’s going to be something nice that will really feature downtown,” Hellmich said.

“Those giant oak trees in front of City Hall, all through there, we’re going to halo light those. We’re going to continue doing these small projects around downtown,” he added.

He said the halo lighting will be installed in the trees with the light shining toward the ground, lighting up the trees and the area beneath them. The lights in the trees will also be less vulnerable to vandalism than fixtures installed on the ground.

Jeff Phillips, Foley construction project manager, said the illumination will include three rings, each with three lights, on each tree. He said the lighting will be similar to illumination installed in trees in the city’s Pine Street Park.

The first phase of the project will include running a conduit from City Hall to the trees in front of the complex. 

The second phase will include adding lights to more trees in front of Riviera Utilities and the Foley Public Library next to City Hall. The second phase of the project is scheduled to take place in the 2025 fiscal year. On Alston Street, the city will begin installing lighting near Orange Avenue. The second phase will extend the work to Myrtle Avenue and Verbena Avenue.