Newport residents press council on intrusive industrial lighting, urge dark-sky fixes

At its meeting, Newport residents described persistent light intrusion from a cluster of industrial properties they said is shining uphill into homes, diminishing wildlife and waking household members through the night.

"It's affecting our our sleep," said Mark Marks, identifying himself as a research biologist and zoologist who has lived in Newport since 1988. Marks told the council that, after installation of lighting at the PUD motor pool and nearby businesses, mountain quail that used to appear in his backyard stopped returning. He showed photos of bright interior and exterior lighting he says beams directly into his bedroom window.

Jill Marks, his wife, said she uses blackout shades and blankets but still wakes at night, and she provided the council with a highlighted study she said links nighttime light exposure to increased cardiovascular risk for older adults. "It's still waking me up throughout the night," she said.

Other neighbors said the light sources include Central Lincoln PUD, a UPS facility, a Western electrical contractor, and the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. One resident said the lights are a quarter of a mile away and sit roughly 100 feet below some homes, but still illuminate yards and interiors because fixtures are unhooded or aimed outward.

Speakers urged the council to require dark-sky-compliant fixtures, hoods that keep light on site, downward-directed lighting, dimming controls or different lamp types. "We were promised night-sky compliance," one resident said, describing discussions held while a new facility was being designed.

Mayor Jan Kaplan and other council members responded that the Central Lincoln PUD board is an elected body with enforcement authority over PUD operations, and they recommended residents raise the matter directly with that board. Mayor Kaplan said city staff would look into what authority the city has to require changes and follow up with the residents. "I would highly recommend that you also go in front of that body because I do not think that they draw much meeting attendance or much oversight of community participation," a councilor said during the discussion.

No ordinance, motion, or formal vote on lighting was taken at the meeting. The council committed to gather information on possible city authority and to pass the residents' materials to the record so staff can review next steps.