With the county soon to make a decision on extending the operational permit for the Tom Barber Golf Center by two decades, the Simi Valley City Council is still on the fence about whether it should drop its opposition due to the range’s nighttime lighting.

City leaders say they support local business and don’t want to see the range suffer, but at the same time they are concerned by the complaints of residents who say they are suffering now.

Those living close to the golf center— located at 15186 Tierra Rejada Road, just outside Simi Valley’s city limits— voiced their concerns at Monday’s council meeting.

“From my property, it’s really bad,” said Rick Ehlert, who lives on Lapeyre Road, located a little more than a mile east of the range.

“With all the lights out I can read a book in my bedroom. I’ve got nothing against the driving range, it’s a great use there, but the lights are very, very bright,” Ehlert continued.

“If we are in our bedroom at night with the lights out and I can see my shadow on the wall, we’ve got a problem,” echoed Joe Cassella.

Chuck Carmichael agreed with his neighbors, saying that since their properties are at a higher elevation than the range, the tall pole lights shine right into their windows.

“They look right straight up at us. You look at them and you see the hot spot in the bulb,” Carmichael said.

Despite their frustrations, the residents who spoke said they don’t want to shut down the range. They just want the lighting problem corrected before the extension is approved.

But Tom Barber, managing partner of the center, said he has already taken several steps to mitigate residents’ concerns. He permanently shut off three lights closest to the freeway, shielded every light and turned them downward, and replaced the bulbs with a coated variety.

The lights, a contentious issue when the range was approved in 1997, became a hot topic once more with a request to extend the center’s operating permit by 20 years, pushing its expiration date from 2017 to 2037.

In September, the county planning commission approved that request, but the Moorpark City Council later filed an appeal.

The county Board of Supervisors is set to finally make a decision Feb. 28.

Prior to the commission’s approval, the cities of Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks sent letters to the county citing concerns over the lighting’s impact on the Tierra Rejada greenbelt, saying they would not support extending the center’s permit unless the lighting was modified.

Now, Simi city leaders are torn over whether to give Barber their support or maintain their opposition to the extension.

While he wants to see the golf center continue to succeed, Councilmember Glen Becerra said he also can’t ignore the concerns of homeowners. He said he couldn’t take a stand on the issue without the chance to survey the problem himself.

“ I love the facility, I think it’s great. (The view from the freeway) has definitely improved in the glare but that’s not their issue,”

Becerra said.

“I’d like to get the chance to go up and see their perspective.”

Mayor Bob Huber, on the other hand, has already seen what the residents are talking about—and that’s why he’s not ready to support the center’s permit extension.

“I have been in the Carmichaels’ bedroom at night so I know what he’s talking about . . . and boy does it blare in his bedroom,” he said.

The council decided it would make a final decision Feb. 27, a day before the matter goes before the county.

“Nobody is trying to shut you down, sir, we are just trying to see how we can solve this issue,” Huber said to Barber. “I haven’t seen anything yet that says the lighting impacts have been mitigated.”