Beatrice Richardson Herald/ Review The night skyline of Sierra Vista glows on Friday as seen from Reservoir Hill on Fort Huachuca. The Huachuca Astronomy Club has asked the City of Sierra Vista to consider adopting a more strict ordinance limiting residential lights to preserve the areas dark skies.

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SIERRA VISTA Local stargazers urged the city to adopt a comprehensive residential light pollution code to preserve the areas uniquely dark skies at Thursdays regular city councilmeeting.

Everett Maynard, a Sierra Vista resident, and Huachuca Astronomy Club President Bob Gent lauded the city for its commercial restrictions but said its time to focus on the residential side, when they addressed the council during Call to the Public. The club worked with the city to design a commercial code that was adopted in2008.

I believe that most of us can agree that there is an aesthetic value to us preserving the darkness of our night skies, Maynard said. There is also an obvious commercial or business interest in preserving the night skies as well The night skies of southern Arizona are recognized the world over as being among the most well-preserved night skies in the industrializedworld.

That has attracted a legion of amateur astronomers to the area, hesaid.

As Sierra Vista continues to grow, there will necessarily be an increasing amount of light pollution and destruction of this valuable natural resource, Maynard said. Currently the city code only includes two sentences, which he feels is inadequate and is less strict than Cochise Countyscode.

Maynard and Gents suggestion would only limit the use of powerful outdoorlights.

Residential lights tend to be less of an issue than commercial, but its true that the city has yet to take a serious look at that part of the code, Community Development Director Don Brush said. In addition to tackling the commercial issue, the city has replaced its lights at ballfields and worked with Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative to make sure street lights areshielded.

Currently, commercial lights are restricted to 200,000 lumens peracre.

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Astronomy club asks city to limit bright residential lights