Pretty soon, aspiring basketball stars of all ages will be able to shoot hoops in Hutto well after the sun goes down.
The Hutto City Council voted unanimously on May 5 to purchase basketball court lighting systems for Hutto Lake Park, Fritz Park and Hutto Community Park.
The vote comes after a group of local students, led by Hutto High School senior Brock McCoy, raised the issue to the city and circulated a petition to request the courts be more accessible later into the evening. McCoy and his friends first approached the Hutto Parks Advisory Board with the issue last winter.
“Playing basketball within the community has allowed me to meet and become friends with people who I had not known before,” McCoy stated in the petition. “This has been one of the most fun things I’ve experienced while living in Hutto my entire life.”
With support from the Parks Advisory Board, McCoy then spoke in front of the City Council on Dec. 16, 2021. The petition circulated by McCoy reached over 650 signatures prior to the 7-0 vote by the City Council. Mayor Mike Snyder praised McCoy and his friends for the way they went about creating positive change in the community.
“I’m excited for the lights, but I’m more excited to see that what started off as a conversation quickly led to an online petition,” said Snyder during the May 5 meeting. “We had these guys take it upon themselves and share it on different social media pages, getting the word going then showing up at meetings. We appreciate what these guys have done.”
The lighting structures will be installed by Iowa-based Musco Lighting, which designs and manufactures sports and large area lighting systems. Hutto’s new lighting systems will feature LED lights and a shade system that prevents light pollution from disturbing homes and businesses surrounding the three area parks. The systems can be activated at the push of a button, will run in one-hour increments as needed and will automatically shut off when not in use.
The lighting structures at all three parks are expected to be installed and operational late this summer or early this fall.
