Almost a year and a half ago as COVID-19 swept the area, Covanta’s energy-from-waste facility in Ward Hill turned on its Christmas star to provide “a symbol of hope for all.”
Area Asset Manager Mark Van Weelden said the lights were turned off recently with the expiration of Gov. Charlie Baker’s emergency order and the renewed hope coming with vaccines and business re-openings.
“Our star was lit as a sign of hope 24-hours-a-day at the beginning of the COVID lockdown. It is now off with the expiration of the governor’s emergency COIVD order but will be back on for our normal lighting from Thanksgiving thru Christmas day,” he said.
The star has appeared every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas for nearly 30 years. Van Weelden previously explained the star was created using one light for each state of the union and all 50 lights are powered by the energy from waste facility.
In keeping up with the times, Covanta is working to upgrade the star by moving to high efficiency LED lighting with multiple lighting effects.
“As we look to the future and the promise of a better day, we look forward to providing the community a new star for the ages” said Haverhill Facility Manager Bill Zaneski.