Pittsburgh City Council

Ballfield lights could go remote with a $73,050 software upgrade.

Written by Amy Whipple

The superintendents of the city parks will soon be able to control ballfield lights with a tap on their phone.

During its July 29 committee meeting, council voted to move forward with a payment of $73,050 to Musco Sports Lighting for software that remotely controls lighting in the city’s ballfields and parks.

Don Mudrick, finance manager for the Department of Public Works, said the system enables the city to pre-program lights to run for the duration of a sports field permit.

Residents can still manually turn on lights in spaces like basketball courts when they are not being used under a permit. 

Mudrick said the software also allows for adjusting the lights’ brightness and takes into consideration the city’s dark skies ordinance. He added that the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure has similar technology for streetlights.

Council Member Erika Strassburger of Squirrel Hill North said, “The technology that allows us to do that is a difference maker in people’s quality of life.”

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