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City to add signage and pave SW 20th median; council discusses speed survey and dark‑sky lighting options
Summary
Public works told council additional signage will be installed and permanent paving applied to the Southwest 20th median when asphalt plants reopen; council also discussed a WSDOT speed survey for state highways and lighting technology and grants to reduce light pollution.
City staff updated the council on work to address complaints about the median on Southwest 20th Avenue and answered questions about temporary cold‑patch paving at a nearby childcare site. The council also discussed a planned speed study with the Washington State Department of Transportation and options to reduce light pollution through modern street‑lighting technology.
Public works reported the median installation required concrete curbing before permanent paving; because local asphalt plants are closed for seasonal maintenance the final paving and signing are delayed. “They’re gonna be putting up additional signage at the median, and then the asphalt paving, which will fix the issue, should happen in a week or 2,” a public‑works presenter told the council, adding that the curbing work needed to be finished before paving. Staff explained that temporary cold‑patch asphalt used during construction will be milled and replaced with permanent pavement before project completion.
Council members asked about state highway speeds; staff said WSDOT will conduct a speed survey and the city expects to have “some sort of path forward” for SR‑502 by March. Councilors also discussed dark‑sky and dimmable LED street‑lighting technologies, which can reduce light pollution and provide remote monitoring (for example, an LED fixture that reports a burnout). Council members noted the city previously received a lighting grant (Relight program) and asked staff to explore additional grant options and possible code changes so future neighborhoods use fixtures that limit light spill and support dimming or motion‑based controls.
Staff and councilors agreed to return to these topics during code updates and capital projects planning so that lighting, paving and speed‑limit work can be addressed in coordinated grant and budget efforts.
