“We call this Big Sky Country,” said Ward 1 Councilman Dave Strohmaier, who worked on the ordinance. “We need to have a chance at maybe seeing the Big Sky at night.”
The Missoula City Council adopted the ordinance in April, but delayed implementation until Jan. 1 to allow people time to get ready for the change. If the new rules produce their expected results, Missoula eventually will have lights that illuminate the things people need to see -such as sidewalks - instead of just shining toward the sky or temporarily blinding anyone who looks into them.
Lou Ann Crowley, who served as chairwoman of a committee that developed the ordinance, said it was actually inappropriate lighting that inspired her to bring effective lighting to the Garden City. As she researched the subject, she learned that 25 percent of the electricity consumed in this country is dedicated to indoor and outdoor lighting - in other words, light bulbs.
“That's a lot of money,” Crowley said.
And some of it isn't illuminating much because it's shooting up into the sky. Some of it also is unwanted, spilling over into a neighbor's property. Some is even too bright. Police have said light that is too bright creates unsafe places, such as shadows where people can hide and brightly lit areas that endanger patrol officers because their eyes need too much time to adjust in order to be able to see their surroundings.
So the ordinance sets guidelines that are intended to solve those problems. The city building department administers the rules, which are in place for new construction. Generally, businesses and developers of large residential projects must create light plans, which they turn into the building department when they apply for permits.
Homeowners installing new outdoor lights or building a new house need to use lights that comply with the ordinance, but they don't need to turn in plans.
Crowley said the ordinance is not retroactive, so it saves people who aren't remodeling from having to rush out and immediately purchase new fixtures. However, if people have a complaint about light spilling onto their property, they can call the building administrator to investigate.
Several people said the right thing to do, though, is to first call the person who owns the light. The ordinance gives violators one year to install an approved light. It also imposes $50 misdemeanor charges in some cases of violation.
The Missoula Chamber of Commerce's Gary Bakke said the new requirements come with difficulties and costs for businesses. For one thing, the regulation tells businesses to submit a “photometric design,” or light plan, of all exterior lighting. The ordinance doesn't require a business owner to hire a professional lighting engineer or designer, but people still may need to do so, Bakke said.
“Most people don't understand a photometric design,” he said.
Bakke said there is also a limited selection of outdoor lighting fixtures that comply with the new guidelines. That means most of the lights people have been installing will not be compliant, he said.
The lights that do comply contribute to peace of mind for folks like Dave Taylor, who experienced a light problem personally and understands the benefits of good lighting.
He and his wife built themselves an upstairs master suite with a deck, which they wanted to enjoy. But a neighbor's bright light shone onto his deck.
“It just destroyed my entire existence on summer nights trying to sit in my yard,” Taylor said.
The problem wasn't just about his comfort, though. Taylor also said light shining on people when they're trying to sleep creates health problems prompted by lack of melatonin.
So he visited with his neighbor: “Do you care if I try to put a light shroud up?”
Taylor, who owns his own roofing company and works with sheet metal, said he basically wanted to install something that deflected the light to the ground instead of allowing it to shoot across the neighborhood. The neighbor agreed with the idea, as long as Taylor would remove it if the neighbor didn't like it.
“So I put it up and it worked absolutely perfectly,” Taylor said, and he wasn't the only one who thought so. “His neighbors came over to him and thanked him.”
Taylor even started a side business called Light Pollution Solutions, which is dedicated to helping people install appropriate light. The endeavor hasn't taken off, but Taylor's evenings have improved.
The neighbor's light stayed on, the shroud stayed up - and Taylor now drinks a beer and enjoys the sunset from his deck.
“Now you can see the western sky and it's really very nice,” he said.
The ordinance has forced some changes at Western Montana Lighting. The staff had to change an entire section where the store displays exterior lighting, and money went into buying new fixtures that meet regulations, said owner Carolyn Overman.
“We've made a concerted effort to have more product available and be aware of it (the ordinance),” Overman said.
An inventory of lights that don't meet regulations remains on hand, and Overman said the ordinance takes away many potential customers for those fixtures. But she said she plans to sell them to folks who live in the county.
As for Missoula proper, the town prides itself on quality of life, and Councilman Strohmaier said the new attention to good lighting contributes to that attribute - at night.
“I think the whole community benefits,” he said.
Light on the subject
For detailed information about the Missoula Outdoor Lighting Ordinance, go to www.ci.missoula.mt.us/lighting/index.htm. A copy of the regulation, including light guidelines, is available there. Have questions or complaints? Call the building department at 552-6040.
Reporter Keila Szpaller can be reached at 523-5262 or at Keila.Szpaller@missoulian.com.
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