Carmody’s committee has identified 33 locations for the light shows in the 500 to 1000 blocks of Caroline Street and 100 to 400 blocks of William Street. The projectors would either be located on roof lines, overhangs or inside windows and project twinkling lights into the branches of large pear trees, images such as snowflakes on the sides of such buildings as Café New Orleans and patterns of colorful lights onto the sidewalks.

Carmody said that the lights would be aimed so that they don’t distract or blind people driving down the streets, and that they’d have timers so they’d all come on at dark and shut off around 11 p.m. The timers would also eliminate the cost of manual labor to turn the lights on and off. His committee has recommended a $35 reimbursement each for the people and businesses providing electricity for the laser projectors.

Main Street is considering using colored laser lights because the cost of laser projectors that use only white lights is about eight times higher, Carmody said.

“My initial reaction is that I don’t like it,” said City Councilman Tim Duffy after watching a demonstration of the lights in council chambers. He said that the projector that created rapidly moving patterns of light would be bothersome to people like his wife, who has vertigo.