At our December 18th meeting, the City Council approved changes to Ivins’ outdoor sports lighting standards based on more than a dozen changes I proposed to incorporate DarkSky International requirements for sports lighting in City parks. This is an important first step. While it does not immediately fix the glare issues at Unity Park, it establishes a clear, measurable, science-based framework for how those issues can and should be addressed. (Download my list of changes.)
DarkSky’s standards recognize that sports lighting needs to provide safe, high-quality illumination for play while also minimizing glare, spill, and light trespass into surrounding neighborhoods. By adopting these requirements, the City now has a roadmap for improving existing facilities and ensuring that future sports lighting is designed and operated more responsibly.
The next step: figuring out what a retrofit solution at Unity Park would cost and how it could be funded. That analysis has not been done yet, and no timeline is set. But with the standards now in place, we at least know what “better” looks like and can begin evaluating realistic options. This will take time, but it is progress—and an important move toward protecting both recreational use and Ivins’ dark skies.
I’d welcome hearing from you (mike@MikeScott4Ivins.com). Thoughtful input helps inform these next steps and makes the conversation better as we work through options together.
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