County News

By Roger Baker
County Manager

2/23/2006 - There was no meeting of the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners this week, so I again have a chance to alert people to an upcoming presentation instead.

  At the regular Tuesday meeting on February 28^th, our Parks & Recreation Department will be presenting their proposal for lighting at the County’s two ball fields across from the Justice Center.

  This is an issue that’s been under discussion for a long time, and certainly there won’t be any final decisions made next Tuesday. But the Commissioners are beginning the process of reviewing their options.

  The first step in the process was a presentation by the Parks & Recreation Department before the County’s Planning Commission. Outdoor lighting is covered by our Zoning Regulations, and certainly the Planning Commission has been very zealous in protecting what is left of the “dark sky” we enjoy in Gilpin County.

  So our Parks & Rec people did a lot of homework before even going before the Planning Commission. They settled on two different products, by Spectrum and Musco. The two products were rated in terms of illumination provided, lumen output, spill (fugitive light), and operating power requirements. The Musco system proved more efficient and less expensive to operate, providing an equal amount of illumination with less fugitive light spill.

  So the Planning Commission’s recommendation, with some additional suggestions, was to go ahead with the Musco proposal. That’s the proposal that will be discussed next Tuesday. Of course, the Commissioners have some additional considerations to weigh—things like cost/benefit ratio and alternative solutions. Our Little League and adult softball programs are growing, and having additional playing time would make scheduling a lot easier. But is lighting the fields the best solution?

  We could, for example, build another field or two. But that would be far more expensive, and would require additional water that we might not be able to supply. Still, there’s no doubt that while a lot of people have pushed lighting the fields for a long time, there are also a number who will object, on a variety of grounds.

  We’ll be careful to make sure everyone gets heard on this question. In fact, what the Parks & Rec staff will suggest is that, if this is the direction in which the Commissioners decide to proceed, a full-blown presentation be made at the next Parks & Recreation Advisory Board meeting. Those are night meetings—this one would probably be Thursday evening, March 16^th—so everybody can have a chance to weigh in with their comments and suggestions.