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Battle Ground discusses dark-sky streetlight standard and smart-light options; staff recommends coordinating with PUD
Summary
City staff briefed council on dark-sky lighting, smart-streetlight controllers and costs. Staff recommended adopting a dark-sky specification for new fixtures (to maintain future upgrade paths) while waiting to align smart-light network decisions with the public utility district’s planned communications network.
City staff presented options for dark-sky compliant fixtures and smart-streetlight technology at the March 17 meeting, recommending a two-step approach: adopt a dark-sky fixture standard for new and replacement lights now and coordinate on smart-network rollout with Clark Public Utilities (CPU) as the utility builds a county-wide communications network.
Why it matters: changing the city’s fixture specification affects future streetlight replacements, developer-installed neighborhood lights and eligibility for grant funding tied to smart-city technology and energy management.
What staff said Mark (city staff) described two common fixture families in the city: cobra-head-style roadway fixtures and decorative “acorn” fixtures. He said the cobra-head style already directs light downward and is largely compliant with dark-sky principles; acorn fixtures, by contrast, house the light source and require replacement (not a simple shield retrofit) to fully meet dark-sky standards.
Costs and technical notes Staff provided ballpark costs: an Acorn-style replacement fixture was estimated at about $1,350 per unit (including shield options), while adding a smart-light controller to an already-compatible cobra-head fixture would be roughly $100 for the controller and $100 installation per fixture (staff said prices vary by vendor). Staff said the big technical enabler for smart features is a 7-pin connector on the fixture; cobra-heads can have the connector added, while acorn heads would typically require a new fixture.
Networking and timing Staff recommended waiting on large-scale smart-light network decisions until CPU’s planned communications network (out for RFP) is defined; CPU is procuring a radio network for meter-reading and other services that the city could potentially join, which staff said would be cheaper than building a city-owned communications system.
Council feedback and next steps Council members supported a practical path forward: change the city specification so replacement fixtures installed by developers or for new construction meet dark-sky standards at no additional cost, require shields upon request for nearby homeowners, and pursue grants for retrofits of older fixtures. Several councilors emphasized coordination with CPU on long-term smart-light communications, and staff said they will follow up with the utility and prepare a specification update for council consideration.
Ending: Staff will open discussions with CPU, track potential grant opportunities for retrofit work, and return with a proposed specification or ordinance amendment if council wishes to proceed.
