Built in 2016, Sperry Tower was designed to hold and hide City, County and private telecommunications equipment. The newly built tower replaced an existing water tower that was not needed for water capacity and had not been used since 2009. Instead of performing extensive and expensive repairs on the water tower it was removed and rebuilt. The telecommunications tower has a maintenance cycle of 50 years versus the water tower's maintenance cycle of 25 years.

Picture of Sperry Tower lit up green

The tower is 198 feet tall and is made up of six rings at varying heights. A total of 5,448 LED light bulbs on 185 fixtures illuminate Eagan's skyline each night from just after sunset until midnight and again from 4:00 a.m. until just before sunrise. The tower lighting has nearly limitless capabilities including an indefinite range of colors as well as dynamic features to celebrate holidays and special occasions. The approximate cost to operate the tower is $2.30 per day.

 

Lighting Schedule

The following holidays, events, and observances have been approved for special color schemes or dynamic features in 2023 by the vote of City Council on December 20, 2022.

2023 Lighting Schedule

Currently under repair

  • January 1 - New Year's Day (Multi-color and Message)
  • January 14 & 15 - Vikings Wildcard Weekend (Purple and Gold)
  • January 16 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Red, White and Blue)
  • January 19 - Cervical Cancer Prevention & Awareness Month* (Teal)
  • January 20 - Frosty Festival (Teal and White)
  • January 22 - Lunar New Year* (Red and Gold)
  • January 26 - National School Choice Week* (Red and Yellow)
  • January 27 - International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Blue)
  • February 1 - Black History Month (Red, Yellow, Green and Black)
  • February 2 - Groundhog Day (Brown)
  • February 9 - National Pizza Day (Multi-Colored)
  • February 14 - Valentine's Day (Red, Pink and White)
  • February 15 - International Angelman Day* (Blue)
  • February 16 - World Cholangiocarcinoma Day* (Green)
  • February 20 - Presidents' Day (Red, White and Blue)
  • February 28 - Rare Disease Day* (Pink, Blue and Green)
  • March 3 - Eating Disorders Awareness Week* (Blue and Green)
  • March 4 - Light the Night for Amyloidosis* (Red)
  • March 7 - Colon Cancer Awareness Month* (Blue)
  • March 11 - MN United FC home opener (Blue, Grey and Black)
  • March 12 - MS Awareness Week* (Orange)
  • March 17 - St. Patrick's Day (Green)
  • March 20 - Day of Happiness (Yellow)
  • March 21 - World Down Syndrome Day* (Royal Blue and Yellow)
  • March 22 - Ramadan (Blue and Yellow)
  • April 2 - World Autism Day (Blue)
  • April 5 - Passover (Blue and White)
  • April 7 - Twins home opener (Blue and Red)
  • April 8 - Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month* (Burgundy and White)
  • April 9 - Easter (Yellow, Pink and Green)
  • April 14 - National Donate Life Day* (Green and Blue)
  • April 22 - Earth Day (Green and Blue)
  • April 29 - World Wish Day* (Blue)
  • April 30 - Adopt a Shelter Pet Day (Multi-colored)
  • May 1 - Ehlers-Danlos Awareness Month* (Black & White)
  • May 2 - Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (Orange, Teal and Red)
  • May 3 - Mental Health Awareness Month* (Green)
  • May 7 - National Fallen Firefighters Memorial (Red)
  • May 11 - Children's Mental Health Awareness Day (Green)
  • May 14 - Mother's Day (Pink)
  • May 15 - National Peace Officers Memorial Day (Blue)
  • May 16 - Eagan Arbor Day (Greens)
  • May 17 - World Neurofibromatosis (NF) Awareness Day* (Blue and Green)
  • May 19 - Lynx home opener (Blue and Green)
  • May 20 - World Bee Day (Yellow and Black)
  • May 21-23, 25-27 - National Public Works Week (Orange and White)
  • May 24 - MN Aurora Soccer Season Opener (Teal, Blue and Orange)
  • May 29 - Memorial Day (Red, White and Blue)
  • June 1 - World Milk Day (White)
  • June 2 - National Donut Day (Light Brown)
  • June 6 - D-Day (Red, White and Blue)
  • June 7 - Play Tetris (Multi-color Dynamic Feature)
  • June 14 - Flag Day (Red, White and Blue)
  • June 17 - National Eat Your Vegetables Day (Multi-colored)
  • June 18 - Father's Day (Blue)
  • June 19 - Juneteenth (Red, White and Blue)
  • June 21 - Alzheimer's Awareness* (Purple)
  • June 24 - Pride (Rainbow)
  • June 25 - World Vitiligo Day* (Purple)
  • June 30 - AMC Awareness Day* (Blue)
  • July 3 - Eagan Funfest (Red, White and Blue)
  • July 4 - Independence Day (Red, White and Blue)
  • July 7 - World Chocolate Day (Brown)
  • July 15 - Park & Recreation Professionals Day (Light Green & Dark Green)
  • July 22 - World Fragile X Day* (Teal)
  • July 29 & 31 - Vikings Training Camp (Purple and Gold)
  • August 1 - 35W Bridge Memorial (Red, White and Blue)
  • August 4 - International Beer Day (Gold)
  • August 5-7, 12-13, 16-17, 23-24 - Vikings Training Camp (Purple and Gold)
  • August 8 - World Cat Day (White and Black)
  • August 11 - Eagan Food Truck Festival (Multicolored)
  • August 25 - Celebrate Dogs (Orange and Blue)
  • August 26 - Women's Equality Day (Purple, White and Gold)
  • September 1 - Ovarian Cancer Awareness* (Teal)
  • September 4 - Labor Day (Red, White and Blue)
  • September 9 - Childhood Cancer Awareness Month* (Gold)
  • September 10 - Vikings home opener (Purple and Gold)
  • September 11 - 9/11 Memorial (Red, White and Blue)
  • September 14 - Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month* (Blue)
  • September 15 - Rosh Hashanah (Blue and White)
  • September 19 - International Talk Like a Pirate Day* (Black)
  • September 21 - International Day of Peace (Red, Pink, Yellow, Brown, Black)
  • September 24 - Yom Kippur (Blue and White)
  • September 29 - National Coffee Day (Dark Brown)
  • October 1 - Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Pink)
  • October 2 - Dyslexia Awareness - Go Red For Dyslexia* (Red)
  • October 4 - Dysautonomia Awareness Month* (Turquoise)
  • October 5 - World Teachers Day (Red, Yellow and Blue)
  • October 7 - International Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day* (Teal)
  • October 8-9, 11, 14 - Fire Prevention Week (Red)
  • October 10 - World Mental Health Day (Purple)
  • October 12 - Wild home opener (Red and Green)
  • October 13 - Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day #LightupMBC* (Green, Pink and Teal)
  • October 15 - International Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day* (Pink and Blue)
  • October 19 - Imagine a Day Without Water (Blue)
  • October 23 - Red Ribbon Week* (Red)
  • October 28 - Timberwolves home opener (Blue, White and Green)
  • October 31 - Halloween (Orange and Black)
  • November 1 - Native American Heritage Month (Yellow, Orange and Blue)
  • November 2 - Alzheimer's Awareness - Light the World in Teal* (Teal)
  • November 6 - Color the World Orange for CRPS/RSD Awareness* (Orange)
  • November 7 - Election Day (Red, White and Blue)
  • November 10 - Greenlight a Vet* (Green)
  • November 11 - Veterans Day (Red, White and Blue)
  • November 12 - Diwali - Festival of Lights* (Yellow, Orange, Red & Green)
  • November 13 - World Kindness Day (Yellow, Orange and Pink)
  • November 15 - National GIS Day (Blue, Green & White)
  • November 23 - Thanksgiving Day (Red, Brown and Orange)
  • December 3 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities (Blue, Green, Orange and Red)
  • December 4 - Salvation Army Red Volunteering (Red)
  • December 7 - Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (Red, White and Blue)
  • December 8 - Hanukkah (Blue and White)
  • December 24/25 - Christmas Eve/Day (Red and Green)
  • December 26 - Kwanzaa (Red, Black and Green)
  • December 31 - New Year's Eve (Multi-colored)

*Approved special lighting requests

 

Lighting Policy

On December 19, 2017, the City Council approved the amended Sperry Tower Lighting Policy for staff implementation. The policy can be downloaded here.

Introduction

The City of Eagan has erected a telecommunications tower for the purpose of serving City, County and private telecommunications antennas providing service within the Eagan area. The tower, referenced as the Sperry Tower, was also designed to be an aesthetic enhancement to the City's skyline. The aesthetics were addressed through the architectural design of the structure and the lighting features.

The lighting features on the telecommunications tower, per Council direction, have nearly limitless capabilities. There are a total of 118 lighting fixtures on the tower; 1 fixture per panel (10' high by 5' wide), 16 panels per ring, 6 rings on the tower, plus 16 fixtures for the crown (16 pieces, varying heights at 5' widths), and each of the three legs has 2 flood lights. The base of the panel rings are at 168', 150', 132', 114', 96', and 78' above the ground elevation with an option for a future seventh ring (at 60'). The top of the crown is 187' above the ground elevation. Each fixture on the ring panels (located at top) and crown pieces (located at bottom) has 48 individual LED light bulbs and is divided into 4 zones; each with their own IP address for control. Each flood light has 12 bulbs controlled by one IP address. A total of 5,448 light bulbs are controlled by 454 separate IP addresses from one controller. The LED light bulbs have an indefinite range of colors.

The purpose of the lighting policy is to enable the Sperry Tower to provide a safe, pleasant public art display through its lighting features for the enjoyment and benefit of the Eagan community. Incorporation of the tower lighting has been included as part of the City's Policy for Public Art and Installation in City Owned or Managed Spaces.

Lighting of the Sperry Tower shall be prioritized as follows:

  1. In interest of the City of Eagan;
  2. In interest of the Eagan community;
  3. In interest of Eagan community members/representatives;
  4. A greater common interest.

The management of the lighting by City staff is an additional responsibility not addressed by position responsibilities. Available lighting options offer a wide variety of associated responsibilities, from very little to a considerable amount, at times. The following policy guidelines consider the related workload impact of staff.

At full intensity with all lights on, approximately 8,000 watts of energy would be used at a cost of $7 per day (2016). Anticipated lighting intensities and operating hours (10 minutes after sunset to midnight and 4:00 a.m. to 10 minutes before sunrise each day) would expect an approximate cost of $2.30 per day (19kW/day x $0.1158/kW). The following policy guidelines consider the related energy consumption and cost.

Objective

The Sperry Tower lighting should principally contribute to the City of Eagan, further enhancing it with a sense of place and confirming the tower as a landmark within the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. In doing so, the lighting should:

  • Draw attention and be memorable
  • Engender a unique identity
  • Celebrate holidays and noteworthy events/accomplishments
  • Promote the integration of art with urban and architectural design
  • Encourage innovation and artistic excellence in public art

Due to the public's expectation of prudent fiscal management and the appropriate use of public facilities, it is necessary to ensure all tower lighting is based on the subsequent criteria in accordance with the aforementioned prioritization. In an effort to be transparent, the basis of the lighting color(s) or dynamic feature will be posted on social media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, etc.). The following criteria should be evaluated to ensure the suitability of lighting for the citizens of Eagan while bearing in mind proper fiscal responsibility. The guidelines should be used as general design standards for all lighting to be implemented on the Sperry Tower.

A. Comprehensive Lighting Standards

  1. Default Lighting
    1. Color - 'Eagan Green'
    2. Dynamic feature - flames
    3. Schedule - begin at 10 minutes after sunset and continue to midnight, shutdown, begin again at 4:00 am and conclude at 10 minutes before sunrise
    4. Schedule Alternative - Add: begin at 10 minutes after sunset and conclude at 10 minutes before sunrise
  2. Holidays/Observances (City approved)
    1. Color(s) - Unique to holiday/observance (see Appendix 1)
    2. Dynamic feature(s) - Unique to holiday/observance (see Appendix 1)
    3. Schedule - Default, except New Year's Day (begin at midnight and temporarily conclude 60 minutes after midnight; then default)
  3. Seasonal Palette
    1. Color(s) - Seasonal colors
    2. Dynamic feature(s) - Seasonal design in nature
    3. Schedule - Default
  4. Noteworthy Events/Accomplishments
    1. Determined by City Administrator
    2. Color(s) - Unlimited
    3. Dynamic feature(s) - Unlimited
    4. Schedule - Default
  5. Public Safety Announcements/Notifications
    1. Coordinate with Emergency Management Manager
    2. Color - Red
    3. Dynamic feature(s) - Flashing or text
    4. Schedule - begin in response to Storm Warning, Amber Alert, etc. and conclude 5 minutes after begin
  6. Public Art
    1. Selection by Committee (Chair - Recreation Program Supervisor)
    2. NOT overtly religious, political, personal or commercial in nature
    3. Color(s) - Unlimited
    4. Dynamic feature(s) - Unlimited, but no videos
    5. Schedule - Default
  7. External Lighting Requests
    1. NOT overtly religious, political, personal or commercial in nature
    2. Color(s) - Unlimited
    3. Dynamic feature(s) - Unlimited, but no videos
    4. Schedule - Default

B. Lighting Schedule

A 12 month tower lighting schedule shall be established annually. Dates with specified observances shall have proposed color schemes or dynamic features. A policy appendix (Appendix 1) is attached as a component of this policy that details the 12 month lighting schedule for the tower. Requests for special lighting to be added to the schedule of the tower lighting may be allowed through the use of applications from interested parties. Lighting requests submitted by March 1 each year will be considered for the following 12 month lighting schedule. Separate applications may also be submitted for any unscheduled dates throughout the year. Unique lighting of dates not included in the schedule is supported by the policy, without need for a specific observance, such as the default Eagan Green.

C. Guidelines for Considering Lighting Requests

The following criteria shall be applied to all lighting requests from external parties. Only private requests of a nature that are NOT overtly religious, political, personal or commercial shall be considered for acceptance.

  1. External Lighting Request
    1. Privilege, not entitlement
    2. Submit application form on City's website
    3. No guaranteed approval
    4. No feedback obligation regarding status, merit or denial of application
    5. No automatic renewal; applicants must submit a new request each year and are not automatically guaranteed to be selected again
    6. No lighting for overtly religious, political, personal or commercial events
    7. Submit application a minimum of 30 days before requested date
  2. Application Form
    1. Name of organization, contact person, address, telephone number and email address
    2. Event/observance description
    3. Date of event/observance
    4. Specific lighting color - preferably the official RGB color code
    5. Specific dynamic feature - preferably provide internet link to feature
  3. Application Approval
    1. Notification by City staff within 14 days of submittal if the application has been approved or denied
    2. Application conflicting with date of previously approved application or lighting schedule will be denied
    3. Approved applications granted for a maximum of one night
    4. Only one approved application will be granted per requester annually

D. Conclusion

Tower lighting shall be determined by the Public Works Director, or his designee, using this policy, concerns for public safety, engineering judgment and the calendar. This policy addresses the lighting of the Sperry Tower located at 1420 Towerview Road, Eagan, MN. The facility and property are under the jurisdiction of the City of Eagan.

Call Eagan Engineering at (651) 675-5646 with any questions.

Lighting Request

Lighting requests submitted by March 1 each year will be considered for the following 12 months. Applicants will be notified regarding the status of their request.

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For questions about this form or your submission, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (651) 675-5646.