A pitch is being made to brighten Ginters Meadow when the sun is down.
On Monday, Michelle Lequereux, the program coordinator for the South Bowl Community Association outlined a proposal to city council to install directional lighting in the parking lot and a section of the dog-walking area.
Lequereux emphasized safety.
"Due to the lack of light, reversing your vehicle can become a hazard to dogs and people," she said. "Many avoid using the area in the evening unless they are able to find a friend to tag along and have a headlamp or flashlight."
Lighting would also decreasing unwanted after-hours activity, she continued.
"This would also free up the busy times in the area, so people would feel comfortable using it in the evening and late afternoon in the winter months," she said.
A petition in favour of the initiative has drawn nearly 700 signatures since it was launched during a clean up event in the spring.
As for the price tag, buying standard lights would cost about $7,000 - $5,000 for the first and $2,000 for the second - while leasing them from BC Hydro would work out to $2,000 to $2,500 each, according to estimates Lequereux obtained from the city.
Eighteen-foot solar-powered lights would cost about $8,500 each, but engineering and public works general manager Dave Dyer said they would not work well in the winter due to the lack of sunlight at that time.
The SBCA would fundraise to cover a portion of the cost, Lequereux said.
With a new SPCA headquarters planned for 18th Avenue and Foothills Boulevard, lighting along the walking path between the Meadow and the corner should also be considered, said Lequereux, and stressed it should be directional to avoid bothering nearby homeowners.
Council appeared supportive of the proposal.
It also revived an ongoing discussion about whether Ginters Meadow should be designated a city park. The city's long-term plan calls for an extension of Foothills Boulevard through the area, but Dyer said there hasn't been the population growth or demand to warrant the move.
"And I think University Way takes a lot of traffic that might've been anticipated back in the '70s when we did have the route identified from 18th Avenue to Ferry Avenue, which would be the extension of Foothills," he said. "But I don't see that happening until the traffic demand warrants it and that could be a ways yet."
The SBCA will meet with staff to determine next steps.
