Will more town lighting spoil Rappahannock County’s dark skies?

Protecting it ‘depends on goodwill of people in the town’

Rappahannock’s dark sky is rare, so rare that it’s one of the darkest spots along the East Coast and advocates want to keep it that way. So, too, its county park has received top international recognition for unique stargazing.

But two new developments in the Town of Washington and one more looming there means more lighting on new buildings, along paths, roadways and parking areas. It raises the question: Will the lights and glare from new development interfere with nighttime viewing of the Milky Way and other celestial features?

The new projects are Rush River Commons’ multi-use development, The Inn at Little Washington’s expansion and a proposed new courthouse.

Dark sky advocates are working to assure these projects will have minimal impact on the quality of the night sky and the Town of Washington is taking steps to protect the dark sky.  Spokespersons for the ongoing projects themselves say they are making dark skies a priority or at least addressing it.

Since the Town of Washington does not have a dark sky ordinance, its zoning administrator Steve Gyurisin said, “I would have to lean towards using the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) guidelines when reviewing final plans for exterior lighting.”

Hampton Supervisor Keir Whitson, whose district includes the town, said he has “heard from a number of citizens expressing concerns about the cumulative impact these projects will have on our dark skies. Although these projects will largely be managed by the town, the long-term effects of those projects on dark skies are countywide.”

Whitson was successful in getting a standing agenda item, titled “New commercial activity and related matters,” added to the regular monthly BOS meetings. “There is a critical mass of new commercial activity in the town and other areas such as The Inn’s building across from the Quicke Mart,” he said. “I think these projects will draw concern from citizens on a host of issues, including dark skies. I wanted to make sure citizens have a regular opportunity to voice their views at monthly BOS meetings.”

Rush River Commons

Protecting the dark sky is a high priority for Chuck Akre, developer of Rush River Commons, according to the project’s manager Steve Plescow. “From the outset, Mr. Akre set a clear mandate to the design team that the project be environmentally sensitive and that included outdoor lighting. Additionally, the town required we meet dark sky conditions for our lighting,” he said.

Plescow and the project’s designers met with representatives of the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection and came up with a lighting plan that ended up exceeding guidelines recommended by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA).

“The Rush River Commons team was a pleasure to work with,” said Cassel, chair of RLEP’s Dark Sky Committee. “We spent a lot of time going over different kinds of bulbs and fixtures and they came up with a plan that incorporates softer, shielded lighting contained within the site. Because the rural night sky here is darker than more populated areas, they agreed to install bulbs and fixtures that are 10% lower than the IDA recommendation. We are hopeful the project will not detract from night sky viewing, especially at the county park.”

For zoning administrator Gyurisin, the important parts of construction projects are inspections and enforcement. “Rush River Commons agreed to an independent third-party review to assure their lighting plan conforms to the conditions set out by the town. I expect The Inn will be asked to follow similar procedures,” he said.

Construction at the Rush River Commons’ location is well underway with a completion date estimated in the spring or summer of 2024.

The Inn’s expansion

A preliminary site plan for The Inn’s expansion received a certificate of acceptance (COA) by the town’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) in May, and approval by the town’s Planning Commission in June, although outdoor lighting was not specifically addressed in that plan.

In its submission to the ARB, The Inn stated light posts will “enhance” Middle Street and improvements on Main Street would include lighting. “All exterior lighting is planned (to) be night-sky friendly,” it stated.

ARB chair Deborah Harris wrote in an email that dark skies recommendations are not the responsibility of the ARB, “but, of course, to the extent that having Dark Skies lighting fixtures impact the look and materials used, the ARB would need to review those design aspects.”

According to documents prepared by Gyurisin, items required by the ARB as part of the approved COA, including “exterior lighting for Dark (night) Sky fixtures,” will be shown on the final plans.

A related issue are the 28 lamp posts installed several years ago by The Inn along Middle Street and Patty O’s restaurant including several next to the Trinity Church parking lot. “Those lamps are using LED bulbs and are quite bright,” said Bob Parks, president of Smart Outdoor Lighting Alliance, who works as a consultant for RLEP. “The fixtures have clear glass on the top and sides and are technically unshielded. I made a recommendation to change out the LED lights with lower wattage bulbs and change out the clear glass with a frosted Lexan material that would reduce the glare,” he said.

Cassel passed on the recommended modifications to The Inn staff. “We reached out to them shortly after the lamp posts were installed and they were not interested in making the changes,” said Cassel. “I suspect that’s because they were newly installed and quite expensive.”

When asked about The Inn’s intention to adhere to IDA dark sky principles, Andrew Wright, director of operations, responded by email stating, “The Inn intends to conform to all Federal, Local and State regulations.”

An internet search revealed there are no “dark sky” federal or state regulations that are applicable to the town. Rappahannock County, however, has an ordinance with performance standards for outdoor lighting but they don’t fully reflect current dark sky guidelines.

Torney Van Acker, a RLEP board member and the key force behind the county park’s IDA-awarded dark sky designation, believes some of the county ordinance’s provisions need updating to ensure lighting fixtures minimize their impact on the darkness of the night skies.

“The ordinance, last amended in 2004, does not reflect LED technology and is silent on choice of light color and the use of programmable controls such as dimmers and timers,” he said.  “The levels of light illuminance specified in the ordinance should also be reviewed and updated to reflect current dark sky lighting practices.”

“I think The Inn has a great opportunity here,” said Rick Kohler, longtime president of RLEP.  “I don’t know of any three-star Michelin restaurants that are considered dark-sky friendly. Not only could it be a first for them, but it would be a wonderful gesture to all the people in the county who value our dark skies and want to continue seeing the Milky Way.”

Proposed courthouse

County officials have yet to agree on a final design and location for a proposed new courthouse complex. Some question whether the project is needed.

“Let me state at the outset, based on what I’ve heard from many of my constituents, I really have little interest in a new courthouse building” said supervisor Whitson. “I may be alone among my board colleagues on this, but I think we need to take a hard look at working with the facilities we have.

“That being said, whether we renovate, expand our current courthouse, construct a new building, or make use of other facilities, there’s no doubt in my mind that there must be as little impact on dark skies as possible. I know the ordinance exempts county property from lighting standards, but that is neither ‘here nor there’ for me. We always need to look for ways to keep the rural character of our county fully intact, and that includes dark skies.”

‘Goodwill’

In a letter to the town Planning Commission, Becky Burr, chair of the Rappahannock County Recreational Facilities Authority (RCRFA), expressed concern over the county park’s IDA status. “RCRFA believes that The Inn is sensitive to light pollution issues and understands that their interests will be served by preserving our shared dark skies,” she wrote. “We are confident that the collaborative approach taken with respect to the Planning Commission’s review of Rush River Commons development can be replicated in connection with The Inn’s expansion plans.”

Cassel realizes protecting dark skies is ultimately a voluntary effort. “The county’s lighting ordinance will not get us where we need to be,” she said.  “At the end of the day, protection of the night sky depends on the goodwill of people in the town like Chuck Akre, Patrick O’Connell, and the Board of Supervisors. We need them to help us continue along this path.”

Disclosure: Bob Hurley is a reporter for Foothills Forum and on the board of the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection. The organization played no role in the preparation of this story beyond the quotations attributed to RLEP members.

How Dark Skies’ interest began

Community interest in dark skies was sparked several years ago by the efforts of Kaye and Rick Kohler, the longtime president of the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection (RLEP).

In 2017, the Kohlers organized a gathering at the Castleton Theatre with NASA Solar System Ambassador Greg Redfern. Redfern’s presentation, “The Universe and You,” drew almost 300 people. “After that event, community support for protecting the night sky really took off,” said Rick Kohler.

RLEP’s dark skies program has continued to grow in popularity. With grants from local organizations, some 250 outdoor lights and fixtures have been replaced – free of charge – at schools, businesses, churches, and residential properties.

The Town of Washington has also joined in dark skies’ protection by replacing old street lamp bulbs with ones that have softer light and lower wattage. In 2019, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) awarded the county park “silver tier” dark sky status.

“Dark Skies is the kind of program that is widely supported in our community,” said Kohler. “Rappahannock residents and those who come to visit love the beautiful rural setting of our county and our ability to see the stars and planets is a big part of that.”

— Bob Hurley

Foothills Forum is an independent, community-supported nonprofit tackling the need for in-depth research and reporting on Rappahannock County issues.

The group has an agreement with Rappahannock Media, owner of the Rappahannock News, to present this series and other award-winning reporting projects. More at foothillsforum.org.

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