Great to get that history!  Thanks so much (both for your efforts "back in the day" and for telling about it now).
 Wrong about "now, no one probably asked", though.  We've picked up where you left off and have been pushing Parks & Rec on basketball court lights for the last few years.  Then, about a year ago, after the City successfully put together grants for the lakeshore improvement project, Councilmember Rob Fong's office came to us for feedback on the idea of adding decorative lakeside lighting to the project.  SPNA's members were very clear that those sounded fine, but not without putting in the long-needed bball lights as well.  Fong's office agreed and apparently found a way (ie funding) to do both.  And SPNAers (Susan Bush, Bonnie Ratner, and others) have made a point of reminding the City repeatedly so that the bball lights didn't somehow slip through the cracks.  I didn't realize until this week's press release that project also include increasing lighting elsewhere in the park for crime reduction, another idea we've been pushing the last few years.  If all goes as they say it will, it'll be great in many ways.