Commission weighs relighting of unlit airport towers after Skyborn warns of glare risk

A committee member raised the long‑running safety concern about unlit towers at the airport and relayed a letter from Skyborn saying uplighting could interfere with aircraft on the local flight path. The member said the committee reviewed options and that a relighting plan meeting FAA criteria is the current preferred approach.

The commission discussed why a previously proposed uplighting option was set aside after Skyborn warned that even carefully angled lights "may pose a significant problem" for aircraft crossing the flight path. Staff said a contractor attempted to scale the towers but the structures are in poor condition and a crane might be required to do work on them safely.

Staff outlined a multi‑step path forward: obtain a more detailed cost and design proposal (staff said the earlier, rough estimate of uplighting was about $24,000 but that a full relighting design is likely to be substantially higher), submit the proposal for city council review, and seek FAA concurrence on whether the lighting satisfies FAA siting and safety criteria. The committee member flagged a related issue: the master designer for the three‑corners project has not yet decided whether the towers will be retained in place or altered as part of the broader redevelopment, which could affect whether relighting is a prudent investment.

Commissioners asked that staff test a single light installation as a proof of concept to check glare and operational impact before approving a full project. No formal motion or vote was recorded on the towers; staff said there is currently no set timeframe for delivering a final design or cost estimate to council.

Next steps: staff will seek a firm design and cost estimate and report back to the commission; if council approves the work conceptually, staff will then seek FAA concurrence before proceeding.