By Iesha Toft
S-N Contributor
Royal's Toft Electric leaves Grand impression
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IESHA TOFT/SENTINEL-NEWS
Josh Toft speaks about the ins and outs of completing the downtown lighting project during Spencer Main Street's annual meeting on March 8.
When taking a stroll down Spencer's Grand Avenue, pedestrians will find it better than ever with new businesses moving into vacant buildings, sidewalks dressed in beautiful displays and most noticeable at night, the rooftop lights.
Atop every building on Spencer's Grand Avenue there are newly adorned color-changing lights. The huge project was taken on by Spencer Main Street with support from the City of Spencer and numerous Spencer businesses.
Spencer Main Street's Annual Meeting was held Monday, March 8 at the Iowa Project Brewing Company. Officials noted all of positive changes on Grand Avenue with a special dedication highlighting the evening.
One of Toft Electric's co-owners, Josh Toft, gave a detailed speech on what the rooftop lighting project required, sharing the ins and outs of the whole process.
With talk of the idea starting a little over three years ago and funding coming to fruition a year later, Spencer Main Street Executive Director Nancy Naeve quickly sought out Toft Electric to head the project. With the help of S4, a lighting company out of Georgia, and Mike Lambert of Teknephos, the lighting design consultant behind the project, Toft Electric combined forces with Spencer Main Street to light up Grand.
The project was expansive. Two hundred and nine strings of lights were hung by the Royal-based company. Each string of lights was 37 feet long, totaling 7,733 feet – a little over 1-1/4 mile. Thousands of color and sequencing options are available to change the color and pattern of lights at Spencer's whim. The central controller for the entire project is located on top of Grand Avenue Community Outreach, the highest point on Spencer's Grand Avenue. The central controller speaks to and connects all 32 segments of the lights via antennae.
"It was an honor to do this project," Toft said as he introduced his brother and Toft Electric co-owner, Nick Toft, as well as fellow coworker Kent Means. "We are very proud to be a part of this and to see it when we go by. I park here on the corner with my kids and just sit and watch the lights. For us to be a part of this, we knew we were part of something amazing."
