Want to play polo?? We do too, but it is dark at 4:30 now so there is that. Another reason why lights for the Tennis and polo courts is so important to the people who use Reynolds park. Read more about our ask to parks and updates.
Why Lights at Reynolds Park?
Night Time - Artist Render Athletic Lighting
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Day Time - Artist Render
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Welcome to our page on the City of Madison Parks Division Project: Lighting for rooftop building at Reyonlds Park. Before we dive too deep, if you want to skip the discussion and email Sarah Lerner slerner@cityofmadison.com Or District 2 Alder Patrick Heck district2@cityofmadison.com about your thoughts please do so now.
UPDATE NOV. 18 2019: As posted on the Alders page: “New Lights on Reynolds Park Tennis and Bike Polo Courts Moving Forward
The Parks Department is moving forward with the lighting project on the top of the water reservoir in Reynolds Park, although they have reduced the scope of the lighting to address concerns expressed by nearby neighbors. The option to install 50' tall light poles with brighter athletic-style lighting was not chosen.
Parks plans to install security-style lights on 25' tall poles and reduce the number of poles from the proposed 10 to only 4, concentrated so that they provide lighting for the bike polo court. The tennis courts will likely not see expanded access in the evenings because the 4 new lights are not bright enough for tennis and will not be placed near the tennis courts. The fixtures will be state-of-the-art, there will be effectively no light spillage beyond the nearby park sidewalks, and they will meet dark sky specifications.
The project will include installation of lighting on the exterior staircase of the building, which should significantly increase safety in that portion of Reynolds Park. Parks tells me that the court lights will be off unless users either reserve a court online for a specific period of time or there will be a device for manually turning the lights on for a specific period of time (which method is TBD). Regardless, the lights will be off by 10pm and on only when courts are in use.
Note that the project still needs to be approved by city committees and Common Council and that the construction schedule is TBD. The first committee consideration will be at Wednesday's Board of Public Works meeting (Board of Public Works: Agenda 4:30pm, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019 Rm 108 City-County Building). If you would like to provide input on the project, I recommend attending committee meetings and/or emailing me.”- District 2 Alder Patrick Heck district2@cityofmadison.com
Thoughts on this Update: Adding lighting at the staircase is a safety win for all, even just those crossing the park from Festival. The 4 "security" lights around the polo court may not be sufficient to actually add playing time. We will not really know until the fixtures are in if the lights levels they produce will really even work. It is a nice step, and we appreciate it, but we also realize our goal was lighting for all users of the rooftop, tennis included. Saddened by the choices to exclude the tennis courts, we do hope that future plans will incorporate tennis also. This park benefits all who use it. There has been a number of circulating concerns from a few neighbors that have also given poor information about the parks project. 1. Stating that polo or users don't have a say because we don't live here, this is not true. Polo members live in Tenney and surrounding neighborhoods, same with tennis. But beyond that, the parks are for all in Madison, not just those adjacent. 2. 6500k is brighter than the sun, this is funny, because that scale is color, which is correct in sunlight is about 6500k depending on time of day, it has nothing to due with measurement of light. 3. The lights would effect sleeping patterns as noted in some medical research. Which is why the lights would turn off at an appropriate time. That research concerns continuous lighting, not temporary use lighting.
"I, (member of polo and also of Tenney) helped start this conversation about improvements to our Reynolds park over 4 years ago, before even completion of the condos located adjacent. I am happy to see how much research and forward thinking the parks have put towards the lighting project. But at the same time, I am also disappointed that the voice of a few neighbors have seemed to outweigh those who use the parks. Tennis, Soccer, Polo, Rollerbladers, and those secret dog walkers all benefit. I hope future park users will help push the improvement of the overall park. Because I do love being able to enjoy being outside and active." -Brandon Andrews N. Brearly.
The backstory: Madison Bike Polo has been playing and thriving at Reynolds park officially since 2004, yes really that long. Majority of the polo crew came from the local neighborhood, and continued to grow with TLNA members and residents. As national and global associations formed, the sport moved to hard court play. Thankfully we had the water utility building available for playing since it was not in great shape nor being used as much. Over the next few years MBP grew and played on dilapidated tennis courts area. As shown in the original rendering from the 70's show at the bottom of the page. The intent was always to have lights. The bases and wiring are located on the roof, it is unsure if the original built building had lights and were torn down or just never finished. In 2014 with the help of the district Alder Ledell Zeders, the Parks Supervisor and local business owners, the ask and then realization of a official bike polo court was created. (read an article here) In 2016 the polo crew held a "Light the Parks" Tournament. The goal of the event was to get portable lighting system to extend play during the fall and certain events. It was a success, but like many things in life, we realized it wasn't enough nor did it help others in the neighborhood enjoy the park longer. So the conversation with parks was officially started. Since then Veritas Village, Starliner Lofts and more condos and businesses have popped up around the Madison Park. Madison Parks also invested in new tennis court Sports court surface that has revitalized the tennis playing in the park within the past year.
Why: Why do we need lights? Why Bike Polo, why Reynolds... why?? Those of us who live in Wisconsin understand that the fall and winter can be very depressing. The sun starts setting as early as 4:30pm. Some days due to work, people may not even see daylight. This also effects what you can and cannot do for physical (emotional and mental too) activities. The goal is to extend the normal playing time to meet the needs of our residents in Madison. But not just bike polo. We share these courts with Tennis players, fancy kickball games, soccer, and even a crazy Beer Tennis game that some local residents in the Constellation and Star liner buildings. (it was awesome to watch) Our group of Madison Bike Polo players are not only players of polo, but we are also members of TLNA, live and own homes & businesses in the area, play tennis, soccer and frequent the park and businesses. The realization that this benefits more people than just us gave us the drive to help be their voice. People come from the newly built condos, local TLN area and even from farther to enjoy our parks. All Madison Parks are intended for all users, not just the MBP crew. We want the better for our park and for our neighborhood. Currently there are only 2 other Madison Parks that have lighted tennis courts. Reynolds Park has the only official Bike Polo Court in Madison.
Our Goals: Our ask was for the existing light bases be reused and new efficient LED lighting installed for the Tennis and Polo court. For us just lighting the Polo court isn't enough or fair to the other users of the park. We also want it to meet minimum standards for tennis in safety and ability to play. Ideally we want the lights to be on a switch timer so that anyone who wants to play can turn on the lights, but they would automatically turn off when not in use. Also lights would never stay on beyond parks hours, which in this case is 10pm. Ideally we would want a little bit of light on the stair case to help increase safety for all who come and go and those using the park as a cut through from Festival Foods. Lights should be shielded to prevent light from shining directly into the windows of our neighbors, limit any light directly going to the sky above and highly directional to reduce falloff on neighborhood streets. We want Parks Staff to do their due diligence in finding solutions that could work for all. Activation- We believe the more people who know the park is there, the more people will be users. Users of the park means people outside, enjoying life, and just having fun. Giving people more resources to enjoy athletic competitive play outside is just a win.
What has happened so far?? Lots of meetings. Meetings with Park staff, Meetings with Alders, meetings with more meetings scheduled. Recently we have finally been apart of the two Public Meetings for the Project. The original meeting held on May 13th, and second on June 13, due to postcards not being delivered for the first meeting. Attendance for the meetings were reletivly low due. A number of users of the park were in attendance and a few local neighborhoods. There was a tally at the first meeting to get an idea of interist. That tally is here. iClicker Voting Results PDF The Bike polo community voted towards the Athletic Lighting proposal that establishes better visibility for both Tennis and polo. The 2nd meeting had a few more individuals that were against the proposal. We would like to address some of those concerns.
Concerns: First we love our neighbors and they love us. MBP has worked hard to keep the area above clean due to some other groups who pass through leaving trash, clothes and other unsanitary items. We worked with parks to have them install a trashcan so we could help with this process and encourage others to use it. We love our home, again we live here too. We also understand that for a few residents the idea of another light in the city is not something to be excited about. This is why the conversation and research into ways to limit light fall off and directional light has been a priority of both our group and the parks team. We feel that the parks have gone above and beyond to create ways to limit the lighting influence in adjacent condos. We are also open to more ideas like windscreens that might reduce the reflected light or block out visibility from condos located across the street at eye level of the courts. There is also a concern about the type of lights, warm vs cool. Some feel the color temperature of the athletic lighting is too blue or "bright", and unnatural. However the Kelvin color temp is that of Outdoor sunshine. Warmer lights are softer, and more pleasant that sunshine, but come with a reduced visibility cost. More looks into the best lighting for all can still be had. There is a concern that this is just for Bike Polo Players, which in some eyes number just a few. Some of which that don't even live in the area. However many of us are residents or business owners in the area. We are also residents of Madison, to limit the usage of the park to just those on the perimeter would be selfish, same with making arguments of renters vs home owners, that isn't the issue. Users of the park should be heard too. Some feel that MBP members are too close to the Alder and Parks organizers, that is because we have been advocating for Reynolds park for many years. Some of us have sat on boards and countless meetings of all types that concern Tenney Lapham Neighborhood.
What is next? Next steps are for the Parks to make a decision on how to proceed. Do they enhance the facility for extended play and activation or let it stay the same. The Alder does have influence over the decisions.
Our ask: Our goal is that the community is enhanced by the addition of lights that will allow extended play for all. We have a growing population of families and young adults who are looking for more avenues of competitive sports and healthy lifestyles. This is the forward thinking of the parks and neighborhood to invest in a local space. If you have ever played tennis, soccer, polo, thrown a ball around or watched any sports up on top of the building then your input and support is needed. This would increase usage of the park facility and extend hours of play beyond our depressing winter darkness. All the while add security and safety by visibility and safer conditions to play. Share your support of this park in our neighborhood then please email the Project Coordinator to express your support of this initiative. Sarah Lerner slerner@cityofmadison.com Or District 2 Alder Patrick Heck district2@cityofmadison.com
To read more about the proposals visit the Parks website. https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/projects/reynolds-park-water-utility-building-rooftop-lighting-for-tennis-and-bike-polo
Materials from this public input meeting can be found at the links below.
UPDATE NOV. 18 2019: As posted on the Alders page: “New Lights on Reynolds Park Tennis and Bike Polo Courts Moving Forward
The Parks Department is moving forward with the lighting project on the top of the water reservoir in Reynolds Park, although they have reduced the scope of the lighting to address concerns expressed by nearby neighbors. The option to install 50' tall light poles with brighter athletic-style lighting was not chosen.
Parks plans to install security-style lights on 25' tall poles and reduce the number of poles from the proposed 10 to only 4, concentrated so that they provide lighting for the bike polo court. The tennis courts will likely not see expanded access in the evenings because the 4 new lights are not bright enough for tennis and will not be placed near the tennis courts. The fixtures will be state-of-the-art, there will be effectively no light spillage beyond the nearby park sidewalks, and they will meet dark sky specifications.
The project will include installation of lighting on the exterior staircase of the building, which should significantly increase safety in that portion of Reynolds Park. Parks tells me that the court lights will be off unless users either reserve a court online for a specific period of time or there will be a device for manually turning the lights on for a specific period of time (which method is TBD). Regardless, the lights will be off by 10pm and on only when courts are in use.
Note that the project still needs to be approved by city committees and Common Council and that the construction schedule is TBD. The first committee consideration will be at Wednesday's Board of Public Works meeting (Board of Public Works: Agenda 4:30pm, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019 Rm 108 City-County Building). If you would like to provide input on the project, I recommend attending committee meetings and/or emailing me.”- District 2 Alder Patrick Heck district2@cityofmadison.com
Thoughts on this Update: Adding lighting at the staircase is a safety win for all, even just those crossing the park from Festival. The 4 "security" lights around the polo court may not be sufficient to actually add playing time. We will not really know until the fixtures are in if the lights levels they produce will really even work. It is a nice step, and we appreciate it, but we also realize our goal was lighting for all users of the rooftop, tennis included. Saddened by the choices to exclude the tennis courts, we do hope that future plans will incorporate tennis also. This park benefits all who use it. There has been a number of circulating concerns from a few neighbors that have also given poor information about the parks project. 1. Stating that polo or users don't have a say because we don't live here, this is not true. Polo members live in Tenney and surrounding neighborhoods, same with tennis. But beyond that, the parks are for all in Madison, not just those adjacent. 2. 6500k is brighter than the sun, this is funny, because that scale is color, which is correct in sunlight is about 6500k depending on time of day, it has nothing to due with measurement of light. 3. The lights would effect sleeping patterns as noted in some medical research. Which is why the lights would turn off at an appropriate time. That research concerns continuous lighting, not temporary use lighting.
"I, (member of polo and also of Tenney) helped start this conversation about improvements to our Reynolds park over 4 years ago, before even completion of the condos located adjacent. I am happy to see how much research and forward thinking the parks have put towards the lighting project. But at the same time, I am also disappointed that the voice of a few neighbors have seemed to outweigh those who use the parks. Tennis, Soccer, Polo, Rollerbladers, and those secret dog walkers all benefit. I hope future park users will help push the improvement of the overall park. Because I do love being able to enjoy being outside and active." -Brandon Andrews N. Brearly.
The backstory: Madison Bike Polo has been playing and thriving at Reynolds park officially since 2004, yes really that long. Majority of the polo crew came from the local neighborhood, and continued to grow with TLNA members and residents. As national and global associations formed, the sport moved to hard court play. Thankfully we had the water utility building available for playing since it was not in great shape nor being used as much. Over the next few years MBP grew and played on dilapidated tennis courts area. As shown in the original rendering from the 70's show at the bottom of the page. The intent was always to have lights. The bases and wiring are located on the roof, it is unsure if the original built building had lights and were torn down or just never finished. In 2014 with the help of the district Alder Ledell Zeders, the Parks Supervisor and local business owners, the ask and then realization of a official bike polo court was created. (read an article here) In 2016 the polo crew held a "Light the Parks" Tournament. The goal of the event was to get portable lighting system to extend play during the fall and certain events. It was a success, but like many things in life, we realized it wasn't enough nor did it help others in the neighborhood enjoy the park longer. So the conversation with parks was officially started. Since then Veritas Village, Starliner Lofts and more condos and businesses have popped up around the Madison Park. Madison Parks also invested in new tennis court Sports court surface that has revitalized the tennis playing in the park within the past year.
Why: Why do we need lights? Why Bike Polo, why Reynolds... why?? Those of us who live in Wisconsin understand that the fall and winter can be very depressing. The sun starts setting as early as 4:30pm. Some days due to work, people may not even see daylight. This also effects what you can and cannot do for physical (emotional and mental too) activities. The goal is to extend the normal playing time to meet the needs of our residents in Madison. But not just bike polo. We share these courts with Tennis players, fancy kickball games, soccer, and even a crazy Beer Tennis game that some local residents in the Constellation and Star liner buildings. (it was awesome to watch) Our group of Madison Bike Polo players are not only players of polo, but we are also members of TLNA, live and own homes & businesses in the area, play tennis, soccer and frequent the park and businesses. The realization that this benefits more people than just us gave us the drive to help be their voice. People come from the newly built condos, local TLN area and even from farther to enjoy our parks. All Madison Parks are intended for all users, not just the MBP crew. We want the better for our park and for our neighborhood. Currently there are only 2 other Madison Parks that have lighted tennis courts. Reynolds Park has the only official Bike Polo Court in Madison.
Our Goals: Our ask was for the existing light bases be reused and new efficient LED lighting installed for the Tennis and Polo court. For us just lighting the Polo court isn't enough or fair to the other users of the park. We also want it to meet minimum standards for tennis in safety and ability to play. Ideally we want the lights to be on a switch timer so that anyone who wants to play can turn on the lights, but they would automatically turn off when not in use. Also lights would never stay on beyond parks hours, which in this case is 10pm. Ideally we would want a little bit of light on the stair case to help increase safety for all who come and go and those using the park as a cut through from Festival Foods. Lights should be shielded to prevent light from shining directly into the windows of our neighbors, limit any light directly going to the sky above and highly directional to reduce falloff on neighborhood streets. We want Parks Staff to do their due diligence in finding solutions that could work for all. Activation- We believe the more people who know the park is there, the more people will be users. Users of the park means people outside, enjoying life, and just having fun. Giving people more resources to enjoy athletic competitive play outside is just a win.
What has happened so far?? Lots of meetings. Meetings with Park staff, Meetings with Alders, meetings with more meetings scheduled. Recently we have finally been apart of the two Public Meetings for the Project. The original meeting held on May 13th, and second on June 13, due to postcards not being delivered for the first meeting. Attendance for the meetings were reletivly low due. A number of users of the park were in attendance and a few local neighborhoods. There was a tally at the first meeting to get an idea of interist. That tally is here. iClicker Voting Results PDF The Bike polo community voted towards the Athletic Lighting proposal that establishes better visibility for both Tennis and polo. The 2nd meeting had a few more individuals that were against the proposal. We would like to address some of those concerns.
Concerns: First we love our neighbors and they love us. MBP has worked hard to keep the area above clean due to some other groups who pass through leaving trash, clothes and other unsanitary items. We worked with parks to have them install a trashcan so we could help with this process and encourage others to use it. We love our home, again we live here too. We also understand that for a few residents the idea of another light in the city is not something to be excited about. This is why the conversation and research into ways to limit light fall off and directional light has been a priority of both our group and the parks team. We feel that the parks have gone above and beyond to create ways to limit the lighting influence in adjacent condos. We are also open to more ideas like windscreens that might reduce the reflected light or block out visibility from condos located across the street at eye level of the courts. There is also a concern about the type of lights, warm vs cool. Some feel the color temperature of the athletic lighting is too blue or "bright", and unnatural. However the Kelvin color temp is that of Outdoor sunshine. Warmer lights are softer, and more pleasant that sunshine, but come with a reduced visibility cost. More looks into the best lighting for all can still be had. There is a concern that this is just for Bike Polo Players, which in some eyes number just a few. Some of which that don't even live in the area. However many of us are residents or business owners in the area. We are also residents of Madison, to limit the usage of the park to just those on the perimeter would be selfish, same with making arguments of renters vs home owners, that isn't the issue. Users of the park should be heard too. Some feel that MBP members are too close to the Alder and Parks organizers, that is because we have been advocating for Reynolds park for many years. Some of us have sat on boards and countless meetings of all types that concern Tenney Lapham Neighborhood.
What is next? Next steps are for the Parks to make a decision on how to proceed. Do they enhance the facility for extended play and activation or let it stay the same. The Alder does have influence over the decisions.
Our ask: Our goal is that the community is enhanced by the addition of lights that will allow extended play for all. We have a growing population of families and young adults who are looking for more avenues of competitive sports and healthy lifestyles. This is the forward thinking of the parks and neighborhood to invest in a local space. If you have ever played tennis, soccer, polo, thrown a ball around or watched any sports up on top of the building then your input and support is needed. This would increase usage of the park facility and extend hours of play beyond our depressing winter darkness. All the while add security and safety by visibility and safer conditions to play. Share your support of this park in our neighborhood then please email the Project Coordinator to express your support of this initiative. Sarah Lerner slerner@cityofmadison.com Or District 2 Alder Patrick Heck district2@cityofmadison.com
To read more about the proposals visit the Parks website. https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/projects/reynolds-park-water-utility-building-rooftop-lighting-for-tennis-and-bike-polo
Materials from this public input meeting can be found at the links below.
