Marble Falls is planning a 250-foot artificial Christmas tree that would set a world record while marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Known as the Glory Tree, the temporary structure is planned for the end of the Lakeside Park peninsula, outside the traditional Walkway of Lights footprint. City Council approved a licensing agreement on Sept. 1 with The Glory Tree, doing business as World Icon LLC, allowing the company to use city property for the project. 

If completed at its planned height, the tree would stand 14 feet taller than the current 236-foot record for the tallest artificial Christmas tree, set in Sri Lanka in December 2016.

World Icon will fund the tree’s design, engineering, construction, installation and removal, along with permanent electrical infrastructure, project-related public safety and security, operations and special events. The city’s contribution will be access to the site.

“They are offering to bring this to us at no expense to the city,” Parks and Recreation Executive Director Lacey Dingman told the council. “They’ve agreed that they’re going to pay for the full construction, the design, the engineering, and all infrastructure that is needed in order to have it at Lakeside Park. What we’re really offering if we decide to move forward is access to the space.”

Preliminary planning showed estimates of about $100,000 in public safety and security costs associated with the project, which World Icon will cover as well. 

World Icon, described as a “technology company,” will also fund an initial community lighting ceremony with live entertainment and a New Year’s Eve drone show. The city is targeting Nov. 29 for the lighting ceremony if the project stays on schedule, Dingman said.

The tree’s 250-foot height was chosen to coincide with the nation’s 250th anniversary.

“The 250th anniversary is also this year and setting the world record at 250 feet, those two things coincide,” Dingman said.

The Glory Tree will represent all 50 states. Families and businesses will be able to purchase custom ornaments featuring photographs, which will be incorporated into the display and mailed to purchasers after the tree is removed.

Although the tree will be temporary, the project could leave behind infrastructure for future use at Lakeside Park. After the tree is removed, the city can require the structural pad to be removed and the area restored, or approve repurposing it for another public use.

“We’ve talked about everything from a pavilion to if it makes sense to have sports courts,” Dingman said.

The structure will consist of a 200-foot lower section topped by a 50-foot cone. The cone could be extended in the future if another artificial tree surpasses the 250-foot mark, according to Whitney Glover, a co-director of the Glory Tree Project.

According to Glover, the idea came together while she was at Mrs. Lollipop with her family discussing the project with Marble Falls City Councilmember Richard Westermann. Westermann suggested Marble Falls as a potential location, prompting the group to explore Lakeside Park.

The agreement covers the upcoming holiday season, but discussions about bringing the project back in future years are already underway. Any continuation would be reevaluated after the inaugural season and could include changes based on how the event performs.

The project began after angel investors approached World Icon wanting to create something to celebrate the country. The group considered locations including New York and Miami before Marble Falls emerged as a possibility.

“It’s been really just a good faith effort of trying to celebrate America and our 250th anniversary and attempt to set a world record,” Dingman said.

maci@thepicayune.com