Why was Waveland chosen for the lighting project instead of the city’s other two golf courses? Has a wildlife study been done? Why is this the first time I’m hearing about the project? Will this affect my property values?
Gathered at the Waveland Golf Course Clubhouse, community members swung questions at Des Moines city leaders for over an hour on Thursday, Feb. 26, as dozens of residents tried to get a grip on a plan to light up parts of the course for nighttime play.
Des Moines plans to light up the front nine holes along the north and west boundaries of Waveland Golf Course, 4908 University Ave. Known as the oldest public golf course west of the Mississippi River, Waveland is one of the three city-owned courses operated by C Corp.
City Parks and Recreation Director Ben Page said the $1.5 million lighting project is a unique opportunity to help generate additional revenue as the city grapples with long-term budget challenges in the wake of Iowa lawmakers’ property tax reforms.
Golfers would be able to play later, and the lights — described as “chocolate brown” and about 50 to 60 feet tall — would illuminate the course’s hills for sledding.
City leaders planned Thursday night’s gathering as an open house for people to peruse project renderings and speak with C Corp. and Musco Sports Lighting, which would install the lights. The gathering turned into a question-and-answer town hall after multiple residents demanded it.
Neighbors expressed concerns over light pollution and how it could impact surrounding homes, wildlife and the nearby Drake Municipal Observatory. Several residents complained that the city did not advertise its lighting plan until after the Des Moines City Council had already approved it.
“Is this a done deal?” one person in the crowd asked at the top of the conversation.
“This is moving forward,” Page responded.
“So, we don’t have a choice, then, do we?” a community member said, throwing up his hands in exasperation.
“No, we’re going to work together and be good neighbors like we talked about …,” Page said before several other voices chimed in or booed.
Thursday’s discussion was an opportunity for the city to take in neighbors’ concerns and find ways to mitigate them before jumping into the project that’s supposed to wrap up by late spring, resident Rachel Gulick told the Des Moines Register.
“What I observed tonight is that the community at large feels blindsided,” Gulick said, adding, “I’m optimistic that the city will take some time to ensure that citizens are heard and neighborhoods respected.”
What does the lighting mean for the Drake Municipal Observatory?
Some residents shared worries over what the lighting project will mean for the Drake Municipal Observatory.
Located on the grounds of the golf course, the observatory has allowed the public enjoy the wonders of space from Des Moines for more than a century, with lecture series and stargazing events. The series is hosted by Drake astronomy professors weekly, typically in the spring and fall, starting at 8 p.m., and in the summer, starting at 9:30 p.m.
The observatory originally was placed in the Waveland area because it was dark and on the edge of town, Tyler Niska, an area neighbor and observatory volunteer, told the Register. It’s also the city’s highest natural point.
Niska said the nearby freeway already is a source of light pollution that impacts the observatory. The more ambient light there is anywhere, the harder it is to see faraway objects in the sky, he said.
The new lighting “will have some effect,” he said. “I don’t know exactly how much because this is so preliminary. But it’s not nothing.”
This isn’t the first time conflict has brewed between the golf course and the observatory. The summer lecture had to be pushed back to 9:30 p.m. starting last year, after attendees created traffic while golfers were finishing their rounds.
The observatory, which sits between the 17th and 18th holes with a driveway that cuts through the course, draws about 80 to 100 attendees to its events, Drake astronomy professor Herb Folsom previously told the Register.
On Thursday, Page told residents the city and observatory leaders have a solid relationship, and the two will need to keep communicating schedules to accommodate both programs. The golf lights will be turned off the nights that the observatory has pre-planned events, Page said.
“As long as we can have advance notice and plan these things out ahead, these will not stop Drake Observatory programming,” Page said.
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Residents, feeling shut out, boo city over lighting plans at Waveland
Reporting by Virginia Barreda, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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