I think the real story here is the European sense of community. Let's face it, this project is not really a necessity (and it provides light to a very small section of the square) but the town decided to pool their money together and do it anyway.
I have to nitpick here and say that I don't believe this is at all a common thing in Europe.
It is true that smaller towns tend to have this feeling of community to them, but I find it hard to find it anywhere with more than a couple thousand residents.
