Once again I am taking pen to paper to protect the dark skies of Fountain Hills.

No one can argue that additional lighting is needed for pedestrian safety at the intersection of Saguaro and Avenue of the Fountains. It is a very dangerous pedestrian crossing in the dark, and I applaud the Town Council for addressing this safety issue. I have, myself, had issues crossing these streets in the dark.

I would, however, question the need (and expense) of six lights shining continually throughout the dark hours. These new lights, in combination with the walkway lights being added to Fountain Park, threaten to obliterate the view of the Milky Way one can see in downtown Fountain Hills.

Our night sky is a precious resource and is one which should be preserved. Once lights go up they rarely come down.

Instead of six pole lights shining continually, could walker-activated lights be installed at the intersection? If a person wished to cross the street, he or she could push a button to activate a light, much the way a traffic light operates.

Drivers would see the lights come on, see the pedestrians in the crosswalk, and stop. Thirty seconds later, after the pedestrian had crossed the street, the lights would go out, and the wonders of the night sky would again be visible.

Under this proposal, the actual time the lights would be shining would be a small fraction of the time the six pole lights would be operating. The electrical savings should be significant, though I haven’t the figures or information required to run the numbers.

I ask the Town Council to consider this proposal.