To commemorate the 100th anniversary of their founding, the Littleton Electric Light and Water Departments recently hosted a special open house that drew more than 500 customers to their administrative and operations facilities.
The day-long event featured dozens of demonstrations, displays and activities, all designed to promote the functions of the departments and offer fun for families.
From bucket truck rides and pole climbing demonstrations to an electric vehicle charging station and a display featuring tools of the trade, the departments offered a full slate of both educational and entertaining exhibits to share with their customers.
"For us, this open house presented a unique opportunity to highlight the important functions we perform every day to ensure the delivery of safe, reliable power and water to our customers," commented General Manager Savas Danos.
"And in a larger sense, it gave us a chance to underscore our standing as a leading public institution and community partner over the course of this last century," he added.
Other demonstrations over the course of the day illustrated how line workers locate underground services, how water reaches a home’s tap, how meters have evolved through the years and how the engineering staff employs GIS technology in its work.
The business office also used the event as an opportunity to promote some of its offerings, particularly online bill presentment and payment and a community notification system that advises customers of outages and other events. DVDs on water conservation and the functions of a public power line worker were also screened.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary, Rotary and Fire Department also participated, with the latter offering tours of service vehicles and equipment demonstrations.
Food, drinks, music, a bouncy house and balloons, as well as party favors, which included an LED night light, rain gauge and shopping bag – all emblazoned with a commemorative centennial logo – added to the day’s festivities.
"By marking this milestone with our friends and neighbors, we were able to reflect on our founding spirit, share our sense of pride and celebrate our enduring value," Danos remarked. "True to our inaugural maxim as public utilities ‘owned by the people we serve,’ we recognize and respect our role as leading municipal citizens committed to assisting with projects and programs that enrich and enhance the quality of community life. In the year ahead – and far beyond – we pledge to make every effort to affirm our standing as an exemplary public institution and community partner."
Littleton employee participates in a pole climbing demonstration at Littleton's open house.