Carefree considering gas lamp district, sundial sign
by Curtis Riggs | July 2, 2008
CAREFREE – Town officials intend to “brand” downtown as a tourist destination by creating a gas lamp district and directional signs modeled after the famous sundial that sits at the east end of Easy Street.
A crowd of 50 downtown business owners and concerned residents attended a public hearing last week about the first major change to come to downtown since the $5.5-million Town Center was built in 2000. The idea for the gas lamp district, which is modeled after one in San Diego, was well received at the meeting, even by residents who fear the loss of the night sky from light spilling out into residential neighborhoods.
The plan is to install 13 colonial-style gas lamps, which will actually be powered by electricity, on 10-foot poles along Easy Street and throughout the downtown area. The “branding” signage element being considered consists of signs modeled after the signature sundial, which is the largest ancient timepiece in the western hemisphere.
Carefree lighting consultant Don Happ, of D.H. Lighting Solutions, said the gas lamps will be placed 100 feet apart and thrown off 45-foot circles of light around them.
“They will create large pools of light and give a comfortable visual presence,” Happ said while adding that 95 percent of the light from the new poles will go straight down thus minimizing the amount of light that will go up into the dark night skies. Happ, who also was the consultant for lighting in D C Ranch, said the lighting in downtown Carefree will be “dimmer and warmer” than the lighting in the north Scottsdale development.
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CANAMEX and Megapolitan Arizona’s Sun Corridor
by Linda Bently | July 2, 2008
PHOENIX – Gov. Janet Napolitano has left little doubt her push for statewide transportation, infrastructure and the CANAMEX Corridor (www.canamex.org), defined by Congress in the 1995 National Highway Systems Designation Act as a High Priority Corridor in juxtaposition with NAFTA, is one of the “working groups” of President Bush’s Security and Prosperity Partnership (www.spp.gov) formed in conjunction with the leaders of Mexico and Canada.
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