Although it led to some exclamations of “humbug” around the holidays, a worthy project to beautify Butler’s Main Street kicked into gear this week.

On Monday morning, contractors began putting up new LED streetlight poles along Main Street.

The 54 new poles are not only decorative — they have a historic look to them — but also provide more illumination through two arms that light both the street and sidewalk. Better-lit streets are safer ones for pedestrians.

Some residents were upset around the holiday season when the streetlight replacement project led to Butler opting out of putting up its annual Christmas lights.

At the time, we chided the city for inadequate preparation that resulted in a lack of holiday festiveness.

But we never doubted the importance of the project — and now that it’s moving forward, it’s easy to see its many benefits.

Aside from the poles providing more light for pedestrians, their replacement was necessary because the old poles were deteriorating and some were unstable.

Also, the city is in the midst of various efforts to bring new business to Butler such as its opportunity zone, which aims to draw new construction and commercial and residential components.

The new streetlights on Main Street can add to that effort. Businesses could be more likely to seek a locale on the shopping strip if the streetlights make the area more attractive and better lit.

One area business owner told the Eagle that the lights were an “enhancement” to downtown Butler.

We agree with this sentiment.

The poles will also help to continue another worthy project along Main Street — the hanging up of banners honoring veterans. Last year, the American Legion Post 117 stopped taking applications for new banners due to a lack of space and volunteers.

However, Joe Gray, of Gray Consulting, said the poles have been custom-designed to hold the banners, so we hope this will provide the Legion with additional space for its banner program.

And yes, the completion of the streetlight project in a few weeks will allow for the hanging of lights for Butler’s Christmas celebration later this year.

All in all, this project is a win for the city — it creates a safer and more attractive Main Street, which will hopefully in turn draw new business to downtown.