Pait lights up the park

This time of year, in Elizabethtown, motorists drive by a project important to Billy Pait. For more than a decade he has volunteered on the Christmas in the Park committee.

Neal Cardin

Billy Pait became involved with Christmas in the Park through his work at Nolin RECC.

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Jill Pickett

Billy Pait, a member of the Christmas in the Park committee, drives around Freeman Lake Park in Elizabethtown pulling signs marking locations once organizations begin to set up their displays.

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Pait became involved with the annual event through his work at Nolin RECC. He’s worked at Nolin RECC for 23 years, starting in engineering and now he’s with member services and marketing. 

From the beginning of Christmas in the Park, the company created an archway welcoming visitors to the park. Pait was involved in designing and setting up that display. He gradually became more involved and after some shuffling of job responsibilities at the company, he became a part of the Christmas in the Park organizing committee on which he’s voluntarily served for 12 years.

One of the biggest changes he’s seen over those years is in LED lighting for displays. It’s a change Pait is proud of.

People don’t realize how much the electric bill is for the lighting displays, he said. Visitors’ donations pay the bill.

Also, there were problems with many displays. Cords couldn’t pull the electrical load the lights required, he said. Others had problems with bulbs breaking.

Because using LED was cheaper than calling an electrician to  see why the displays were not working, many display owners decided to switch to LED lights, he said.

About two years ago, the Christmas in the Park committee found a great opportunity to buy a large supply of LED lights at a low price. Because of that, Pait and the committee were able to upgrade most of the displays owned by Christmas in the Park. Many of the displays owned by area businesses also have switched.

He hasn’t seen broken bulbs and wattage used has been cut by more than half. The switch has saved about $1,000 in energy costs each year.

Another benefit of the bulbs is they hold their color better and do not fade with age.

Along with Christmas in the Park, Pait likes to volunteer in a variety of ways.

“I feel like I’m just there to help out,” he said.

He’s also involved in Junior Achievement and passionate about downtown Elizabethtown renewal.

Over the years, he’s volunteered in whatever sport his kids have played. He coached soccer for 11 years and served on a soccer commission for three years. His youngest daughter Rachel, a freshman at Elizabethtown High School, plays softball.

“If there’s something that my kids or family are involved in and they need someone to help, I say, ‘Yeah, sure. I’ll do it,’” he said.

That often leads to tasks others don’t like. Some people don’t like concession stand duty, but he enjoys it because he can see friends he hasn’t seen in a while and chat.

“I enjoy helping people,” he said.

Pait also has served on the city planning commission for 12 years. He was appointed to the committee after finishing a Leadership Elizabethtown class.

Through the planning commission he saw an opportunity to change things.

“I was raised that if you see something you don’t like not to just complain about it but to do something about it,” he said.

Becca Owsley can be reached at (270) 505-1741 or bowsley@thenewsenterprise.com.

Getting to know Billy Pait:

• His favorite book is “To Kill a Mockingbird” but his kids got him interested in “The Hunger Games” series and he read them while on vacation.
• His favorite movie is “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” and but “National Treasure” is a close second.
• Pait’s favorite television show is “Modern Family” and “Shark Tank” is second.
• He likes a variety of music, as long as it’s good. But Pait really likes music from the group Fun., and his favorite genres are R&B and rap. His all time favorites are Billy Joel and Garth Brooks. Before he had kids Pait decided to make a conscious effort to continue to listen to popular music and not fall out of touch. Next year, he's taking his daughter to a One Direction concert.
• His favorite sport is professional football and the Dallas Cowboys is his favorite team.
• The Pait household has a dog named Lincoln and a cat named Lucy. Because they don’t really get a long, Lincoln lives on the top floor and Lucy lives downstairs. Sometimes they’ll meet at the gate to bark and hiss at one another.
• Pait is 43 years old but is often told he looks younger. It was a curse when he was a kid but he likes it now that he’s older.
• Pait has been married to his wife, Sarah, for 24 years. They have three children, Laura, a senior at the University of Louisville, Ryan a sophomore at Western Kentucky University, and Rachel, a freshman Elizabethtown High School.