The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCS 10-24Report to Executive Committee Report Number: CS 10-24 Date: May 6, 2024 From: Laura Gibbs Director, Community Services Subject: Recommendation for Improved Lighting Around Municipal Facilities -Accessibility Advisory Committee-File: A-1440-001 Recommendation: 1. That Report CS 10-24 regarding Accessibility Advisory Committee Recommendations forimproved lighting around Municipal Facilities be received; 2. That the Mayor be requested to include funding in the amount of $36,000 in the City’s 2025 Current Budget to enable staff to undertake an exterior lighting study of Civic Centre and Community Facilities; and, 3.That the appropriate City of Pickering officials be authorized to take the necessary actions as indicated in this report. Executive Summary: The purpose of this report is to share recommendations of the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) for improved lighting at the Pickering Civic Centre and Community Facilities and to request that the Mayor include $36,000 in the 2025 Current Budget to fund an exterior lighting study of Civic Centre and Community Facilities. At the February 21, 2024 meeting of the AAC, a committee member presented concerns related to exterior lighting around municipal facilities and its impact to accessibility, safety and security (Attachment 1). Pickering Civic Complex and the Pickering Public Library roadway entrance, driveway and parking circle off Glenanna Rd. are poorly illuminated at night and pose various visual impediments to the public. Following discussion by the Committee, a motion was passed to share the presentation with the Mayor’s consideration to include funding in the 2025 Current Budget to conduct an exterior lighting study of the Pickering Civic Complex and various Community Facilities. Relationship to the Pickering Strategic Plan: The recommendations in this report respond to the Pickering Strategic Plan of Advocating for an Inclusive, Welcoming, Safe and Healthy Community. CS 10-24 May 6, 2024 Subject: Recommendation for Improved Lighting Around Municipal Facilities Page 2 Financial Implications: The cost of hiring a professional consulting service to conduct a lighting assessment and provide recommendations for improvement for locations is estimated to cost approximately $36,000. Discussion: The purpose of this report is to share recommendations of the AAC for improved lighting at the Civic Centre and Community Facilities and to request that the Mayor include $36,000 in the 2025 Current Budget to fund an exterior lighting study of Civic Complex and Community Facilities. A. The AAC identified accessibility hazards related to lighting. Members of the AAC observed that the Civic Centre/Library area is an extremely busy community hub providing many City services to the community and that Pickering’s facilities are increasingly being used in the evening to accommodate events, meetings and other public/community activities. It was noted that the safety, security and accessibility of the Pickering Civic Complex and Pickering Public Library area are essential to establishing a welcoming public space, especially at night. A Committee member who lives with impaired night vision, expressed the opinion that the Pickering Civic Complex and Pickering Public Library roadway entrance, driveway and parking circle off Glenanna Rd. is poorly illuminated at night and poses various visual impediments. The uneven application of lighting standards can create issues around transition; for example, moving from an under-lit area to an over-lit one can have a significant negative impact on night vision of drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Members of the AAC noted that the design and locations of light standards can contribute to ineffective night-time lighting of Pickering facilities. Therefore, it was recommended by the AAC that the City should aim to realize the following objectives for Municipal Facilities: • Illuminate driveways walkways and obstructions to help ensure accessibility as well as the safety and security of residents, visitors and staff who are walking, driving or cycling. • Accentuate entrances, signage and passenger drop-off and pick-up locations to enhance navigation and increase residents’ confidence. • Generally, provide an attractive outdoor environment with no dark areas, glare or other visual impediments. B. Exterior Lighting at Civic Centre and Community Facilities requires modernization and improvement. The Civic Complex was constructed in 1990. The exterior lighting is the original system installed at that time and consists of redundant technology without the benefit of any lighting control system. In the 34 years since construction there has been no system-wide life cycle replacement of the exterior lighting. As a result, AAC recommends that an exterior lighting study be conducted to define opportunities for improvement. CS 10-24 May 6, 2024 Subject: Recommendation for Improved Lighting Around Municipal Facilities Page 3 The following Community Facilities are also recommended for inclusion in the study: 1) Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex; 2) Don Beer Arena; 3) East Shore Community Centre; 4) West Shore Community Centre; 5) George Ashe Library & Community Centre; and 6) Dr. Nelson F. Tomlinson Community Centre. C.A Lighting Study is the first step to improving exterior lighting. The AAC concluded that identifying and addressing outdoor lighting issues would help the City of Pickering to mitigate important municipal risks and liability and proposed that a comprehensive lighting survey be conducted of all City facilities. Such a survey would identify, test and correct lighting deficiencies and inform updates to various City regulations, standards and/or ordinances governing outdoor lighting. Therefore, the following motion was made at the AAC meeting on February 21, 2024 and was unanimously carried: 1.That the Exterior Lighting presentation by K. Sullivan be received by Council. 2.That the AAC requests Council endorse an exterior lighting study of the City of Pickering'sCity Centre (including Civic Centre/Library, parking areas, Esplanade Park and theChestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex).3.That the AAC requests that the City undertake similar exterior lighting studies of other municipal facilities across the City. Staff recommend undertaking an exterior lighting study to address the accessibility concerns raised by the AAC. Attachment: 1.Municipal Outdoor Lighting Presentation by K. Sullivan to the AAC dated February 21, 2024 Prepared By: Approved/Endorsed By: Original Signed By Original Signed By Timothy Higgins Laura Gibbs, MBA, MSc. Accessibility Coordinator Director, Community Services LG:th CS 10-24 May 6, 2024 Subject: Recommendation for Improved Lighting Around Municipal Facilities Page 4 Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Original Signed By Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer Attachment 1 to Report CS 10-24 MUNICIPAL OUTDOOR LIGHTING Presentation to Pickering AAC – February 21, 2024 Kevin Sullivan, AAC Member DISCUSSION AREAS •Introduction •Why Outdoor Lighting is Essential •Limitations •City Hall / Library Issue •Current Status / Next Steps INTRODUCTION •Increasingly, municipal and other institutional facilities are utilized at night to accommodate events and meetings. •Effective night-time lighting is essential to increase residents’ confidence in the City and the people who live in it. •Lighting plays a crucial role in the success of a public space, so facilities are safe and accessible and best serve the needs of the municipality. Municipal Outdoor Lighting 3 WHY OUTDOOR LIGHTING IS ESSENTIAL •Illuminating driveways. walkways and obstructions. •Providing safety and security for visitors and occupants who are walking, driving or cycling. •Accentuating entrances, signage and passenger drop-off and pick-up locations. •Providing an attractive outdoor environment with no dark areas, glare or other visual impediments. Municipal Outdoor Lighting 4 LIMITATIONS •Many outdoor lighting installations for municipal facilities provide more poor lighting than adequate, and such lighting is counterproductive – reducing safety and security. •Poorly designed, misapplied, defective and improperly located or badly aimed fixtures are root causes of ineffective night-time lighting. •Key lighting considerations include: •Is it compatible with the area? •Does it address safety? •Is it pedestrian-scaled to improve comfort, security and safety? •Does it incorporate energy efficiencies? •Does it minimize the impact on adjacent uses? Municipal Outdoor Lighting 5 CITY HALL / LIBRARY ISSUE •The City Hall / Library roadway entrance, driveway and parking circle off Glenanna Road is poorly illuminated and poses visual impediments. •Design intent for such locations requires driver, pedestrian or cyclist who looks at brightest spot in field of view to also see objects in the dark area within the field of view. •Light levels must be balanced to provide uniformity – however, night- time lighting limitations exist. •City Hall / Library is an extremely busy community hub providing services the local community wants and needs – hence safety and security is a key consideration, especially at night-time. Municipal Outdoor Lighting 6 CURRENT STATUS / NEXT STEPS •Uneven application of lighting standards create issues around transition; moving from under-lit area to over-lit one can have significant affect on night vision of drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. •Need to test and correct insufficient lighting problems – a lighting survey may be needed to identify and solve subtle or complicated problems. •A basic lighting survey can consider the following: •Illuminance – amount of light falling on a surface. •Luminance – amount of light reflected from a surface. •Contrast - relationship between brightness of an object and its background. •Reflectance - ratio of light falling on a surface to the light reflected from a surface. Municipal Outdoor Lighting 7 CURRENT STATUS / NEXT STEPS (CONT’D) •If lighting survey reveals inadequate light levels or lack of uniformity in light levels, municipality can consider making improvements. •Identifying and addressing outdoor lighting issues resulting from poor illumination is key to effectively managing municipal liability and risk management issues. •What regulations, standards and/or ordinances governing outdoor lighting exist for use in City of Pickering? •What steps is City of Pickering’s applicable departments taking / considering to further examine night-time outdoor lighting issue at City Hall / Library and other municipal facilities? Municipal Outdoor Lighting 8