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Agenda Item
4. Public Comment. Comment heard under this item will be limited to three minutes per person and may pertain to matters both on and off the Commission agenda. The Commission will also hear public comment during individual action items, with comment limited to three minutes per person. Comments are to be made to the Commission as a whole. Virtual Public Comment Eligible when facilities are available.
So, what does the term dark sky mean to you? To me it means being able to see the stars and heavens above from the area I want to enjoy them from without the influx of light pollution taking that away from me.
I live in an area of town where my family and I have been able to enjoy the dark sky in the evening for as long as we have lived here. But with the influx of new homes coming to the area of town I live in I am wondering if I will still be able to enjoy the dark sky at night as before. That is the question I pondered over recently.
We cannot stop development; a person has the right to build on their land, and I have been informed that the time has come for a very large property owner to start that process.
So recently when I found out that according to the Dark Sky code of Article 414 “NOISE AND LIGHTING STANDARDS” as stated in Washoe County code that there is NO light bulb standard I was puzzled as to why that small but important piece of legislation was left out. It talks about shielding and other standards such as glare, but nowhere does it talk about the maximum wattage of a bulb. So, I went out and looked to see what other areas of the county say about light pollution and I found out that:
Light pollution is defined as: Glare, light trespass, and light reflected into the sky, contributing to sky glow. I also found out that the American Medical Association (AMA) endorses dark-sky friendly light at or below 3000 Kelvin to reduce hazardous glare (especially for older drivers) and excessive light trespass which has many implications for human health including the correlation of melatonin suppression with the growth of cancerous tumors. In 2009 the AMA passed a resolution urging federal state, and local legislative action to reduce light pollution.
So, I am here today to humble ask you all if you would please direct the building dept to explore the bulb wattage issue and come up with something reasonable for all the citizens of Washoe County. Not only will my family and I appreciate the fact that hopefully our dark sky’s will remain the same as they are today, but all of the other citizens of the County may enjoy the new code standard also.
Thank you for your time please consider my request.
So, what does the term dark sky mean to you? To me it means being able to see the stars and heavens above from the area I want to enjoy them from without the influx of light pollution taking that away from me.
I live in an area of town where my family and I have been able to enjoy the dark sky in the evening for as long as we have lived here. But with the influx of new homes coming to the area of town I live in I am wondering if I will still be able to enjoy the dark sky at night as before. That is the question I pondered over recently.
We cannot stop development; a person has the right to build on their land, and I have been informed that the time has come for a very large property owner to start that process.
So recently when I found out that according to the Dark Sky code of Article 414 “NOISE AND LIGHTING STANDARDS” as stated in Washoe County code that there is NO light bulb standard I was puzzled as to why that small but important piece of legislation was left out. It talks about shielding and other standards such as glare, but nowhere does it talk about the maximum wattage of a bulb. So, I went out and looked to see what other areas of the county say about light pollution and I found out that:
Light pollution is defined as: Glare, light trespass, and light reflected into the sky, contributing to sky glow. I also found out that the American Medical Association (AMA) endorses dark-sky friendly light at or below 3000 Kelvin to reduce hazardous glare (especially for older drivers) and excessive light trespass which has many implications for human health including the correlation of melatonin suppression with the growth of cancerous tumors. In 2009 the AMA passed a resolution urging federal state, and local legislative action to reduce light pollution.
So, I am here today to humble ask you all if you would please direct the building dept to explore the bulb wattage issue and come up with something reasonable for all the citizens of Washoe County. Not only will my family and I appreciate the fact that hopefully our dark sky’s will remain the same as they are today, but all of the other citizens of the County may enjoy the new code standard also.
Thank you for your time please consider my request.