Schools testing merits of reduced lighting policy

Petersburg schools will be testing out the idea that less is more when it comes to lighting — and not simply saving a bit on the budget, though that remains a major selling point.

“What got me thinking about this was a maintenance directors’ conference I attended up in Anchorage,” Maintenance Director Dan Tate said. “It was environmental design loss prevention, and they showed, very clearly, that you can have a lot of lights on to produce a lot of glare that defeats a security officer’s nighttime vision.”

Tate consulted with Petersburg Police Sergeant James Kerr on the issue, seeking the corre...