2004 Friend of the Stars Award

Presented to the City of Athens - May 3, 2004

On Monday May 3, 2004, Maryann Hartwick, president of SEOAS, presented the 2004 Friend of the Stars Award to the Athens City Council at their regular meeting. The citation given to the city was prepared by Professor Joe Shields of the OU Department of Physics and Astronomy. The full tect of the ordinance can be found here. The following is the text of the award presentation:

On behalf of all of the professional and amateur astronomers who live in and around the City of Athens, thank you for putting this important ordinance on the books, and congratulations on receiving this year's award.

The Southeast Ohio Astronomical Society and the Ohio University Department of Physics and Astronomy would like to present Athens City Council with the "2004 Friend of the Stars Award". This award is presented annually to local businesses and organizations that have outdoor lighting that does not add to the light pollution problem.

This year we are presenting the award to Athens City Council to recognize the new Outdoor Lighting Ordinance which became part of the Athens City Code on July 7, 2003. The Outdoor Lighting Ordinance requires all new outdoor lighting to be directed down toward the ground and shielded so that none of the light from the fixture goes up into the sky. The new Ordinance also has a provision for Light Trespass which prevents people from putting up bright lights that shine onto other people's property and houses. The Outdoor Lighting Ordinance will help reduce future light pollution levels in the City of Athens, and may encourage people to fix their current outdoor lighting to help lower the level of light pollution in Athens today.