Sedona AZ (February 17, 2012) – The Sierra (Club) Sedona-Verde Valley Group strongly opposes ADOTs unwarranted tax payer funded safety solution of continuous roadway lighting (CRL) along two miles of SR 89A which functions as (the) Sedona Main Street.
Marlene Rayner, Sierra Club president, sent the following letter to the Sedona Eye online news:
While cities and towns in the U.S. are turning off their streetlights to save energy, money, and minimize pollution, Sedona is being forced to accept dusk to dawn intensive lighting the equivalent of a thirty (30) acre industrial park. This solution threatens Sedona’s quest for International Dark Sky Community designation, according to a letter from Bob Parks, Executive Director of the International Dark Sky Association (IDSA).
Parks, in his February 9 (2012) letter, notes surprise with the general lack of concern by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) for providing a solution that will address the traffic safety concerns in an environmentally responsible manner. He cites the 2010 report addressing safety on SR 89A that clearly identifies that the volume of traffic at night does not warrant CRL by current IES RP-8 standards. Further, CRL will significantly degrade the night sky, waste energy, increase greenhouse gases, and saddle the community with substantial ongoing operating costs.
An International Dark Sky Community is a town, city, municipality, or other legally organized community that has shown exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of quality lighting codes, dark sky education, and citizen support of dark skies. . . Parks adds that the use of fully shielded lighting fixtures alone does not qualify lighting as dark sky friendly. When and how much lighting is used is also vitally important.
With the CRLs, a United States premier area for star gazing is about to disappear. The Sierra Sedona-Verde Valley Group urges the governor and ADOT to work with Sedona and the IDSA to craft a more cost effective safety solution than CRLs so the City can qualify for the Dark Sky designation.
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S Suzanne Grandon and Cindy Wilmer both shared this link ADOT Lights Threaten Sedona Dark Sky Designation on SedonaEye.com
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S Suzanne Grandon via Sedona Times
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Petra Breakstone comments: They are starting to work on lights tomorrow for six month…Monday at 1:16am · Like on Facebook
this is a concern to tourism/why aren’t we talking about it at chamber meetings? why are we having chamber meetings that lack in substance? am growing tired of the costly choir practice jennifer.
mayor is okay, dinunzio is okay but former elected official (won’t name him) from years past said that miller isn’t a good choice and cited several good reasons to consider and i’m listening — no way will i vote for miller.
a good enough reason not to vote for miller is that he is vehemently in favor of lots of lights and lots of unchecked growth and even i think we have limits to what the city can absorb without shooting ourselves in the foot with residents and tourists.
congratulations to ken rowe and kim kori.