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Orderville hears proposal to pursue Dark Sky Community designation
Summary
Volunteers from the Vista Observatory outlined the steps and local benefits of seeking Dark Sky Community certification and offered technical help; the town board agreed to add the idea to a future agenda for further consideration.
Volunteers from the Vista Observatory asked the Orderville Town Board to consider pursuing certification as a Dark Sky Community, describing steps the town would need to take and offering to assist with outreach and technical measurements.
The volunteers said certification requires the town to adopt an outdoor lighting policy (favoring shielded, downward-pointing fixtures and ‘‘warm’’ color temperatures), prepare a plan to retrofit publicly owned lighting within a multiyear timeline, run public outreach and star-party events, and take periodic night-sky quality measurements. They offered to inventory local business lighting and provide technical help and a “Friends of the Night Sky” listing for businesses that complete recommended changes.
Board members asked how the proposal would apply to street lights and privately owned fixtures and whether existing agreements with utility providers (discussed in neighboring Kanab) would affect implementation. The volunteers said the designation focuses on outdoor lighting and that towns typically lead by example with public fixtures and commercial properties; residential compliance is generally handled via ordinance provisions and phased timelines to allow property owners to budget changes. They noted communities such as Springdale, Moab and Castle Valley have completed the process and that Springdale published annual reports online.
Board members discussed next steps, including asking staff to place the topic on a future agenda for further research and to gather the application materials and examples from nearby towns. The volunteers provided links and offered to connect the board with a Springdale staff member who helped that town’s application.
No formal motion or vote was taken at the meeting. Board members asked staff to return with the application process and potential ordinance language for a future meeting.
The discussion also included practical points: who owns and pays for specific street fixtures, how seasonal/holiday lighting might be treated, and the role of commercial property compliance. The volunteers emphasized that the designation can support astrotourism and energy savings and that change can be phased over multiple years.
A copy of the application materials was offered and the volunteers said they would help with outreach should the board decide to pursue the designation.
