After a brief stop during the holiday season, a local man’s campaign to raise money for outdoor lights for the city’s 1903 historic train depot is back on track.

Dowagiac’s Ron Leatz resumed his “Light Up the Depot” campaign last week, and is once again reaching out to residents and businesses for donations, which will go toward paying for new wiring for the downtown station’s rooftop lights. The city removed the illumination late last year due to malfunctions with its cabling.

Since kicking off the effort last fall, Leatz has raised more than half of the $5,200 needed to pay for the new 2,200 feet of wiring, he said. Installation of the new system — which will use the same 1,700 light bulbs that were previously installed on the rooftops — can begin shortly after the campaign reaches its goal, depending on the weather.

Due to numerous other fundraising campaigns, including C. Wimberley’s “Feed the Hungry” food drive, taking place during the holidays, Leatz put “Light up the Depot” on hold in December and January, he said

To jump start the campaign, Leatz has modified his approach to collecting donations. Initially handing out small, easily misplaced business cards to interested donors, Leatz is using standard envelopes, provided free of charge to him by Preferred Printing, which people can use to mail their contributions directly to the city treasurer, who is collecting donations on Leatz’s behalf.

“[The envelopes] are already getting a good response,” he said. “People can just put their checks inside and mail them out.”

People can pick up one of the envelopes, which have the address for the treasurer’s office printed on the front, at the train station, city hall, the library and at the Dowagiac Harding’s. People may mail their contributions or drop them off at city hall.

This is the second effort the Dowagiac man and “host” of the downtown train depot has led to illuminate the vintage building. In 2010, Leatz launched his first “Light up the Depot” campaign, successfully raising $8,000 to install the first batch of outdoor rooftop lights.

Since then, the warm, white lighting has become a fixture of the downtown skyline during winter and spring nights.

However, in the weeks following the lights’ removal, many residents have asked Leatz what happened to them and if they will ever come back, he said.

“I want to see the lights put back up,” he said. “The compliments the building gets from people who see it all lit up at night are unbelievable.”

While previously the lights were only active during daylight saving time, Leatz said the city plans on turning them on at night all year long.

Given the age and prestige of the more-than century-year-old train station, the Dowagiac man is encouraging people to donate whatever they can to the effort. While some businesses and agencies, including the Michigan Association for Railroad Passengers, have kicked in, most contributions have been from residents, Leatz said.

“It is the people of Dowagiac who will make this happen, not big businesses,” he said.

For more information about the campaign, people can contact Leatz at (269) 782-0635.