Dec 13, 2007
Darien High School stadium lights would have limits
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The push to add lights to the high school stadium took a small step forward this week, but a compromise plan needs to face a public hearing before any decision is made.
The Board of Education's lights committee presented a set of guidelines for opperating the lights if they are approved. A packed audience of those for and against erecting lights at the football field listened quietly as committee chairman George Reilly went over the details.
Outlined in the stadium lights memo were specifications of “Who,” “What,” “When,” and “How,” as well as an “Other” category.
Darien High School athletics and activities would take precedence within the “Who” category. The Blue Wave must also be one of the teams playing in any evening game, and only Darien non-profit organizations would be able to schedule practices under the guidelines. This would mean Darien would not host conference and state playoff games.
Board members questioned whether the non-profit category should be more specific to indicate youth sport non-profits as opposed to local charitable organizations.
Under the “What” category, it was set that no more than 12 high school games will be held in the evening in the fall, and no more than 10 in the spring.
Board member Morgan Whittier suggested the guidelines go a step further and said no more than one evening game per weekend be allowed.
“I think that it should be only one game per weekend as a concession to the neighbors,” he said.
A second game during the day would be allowable, Whittier said, but nothing in the evening, regardless of the sport.
That change was agreed upon by the board and was to be incorporated into the guidelines.
As to the “When” category, there will be no evening games or practices from the end of the fall Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference season until the beginning of the spring season.
There would be no use of the lights on Sundays, or from the end of the spring season until the beginning of the fall season.
The lights would have to be turned off by 8 p.m. from Monday through Saturday for practices and by 9 p.m. for games other than football games, which would have a 10 p.m. curfew.
“How” covered amplified sound, which was only usable by the high school’s athletics and activities. The high school band will be able to play only during football games, and it will be the only high school band (the home band) allowed to play during those games.
Also within the “How” category, the committee wrote that the school administration will document trash policies as well as establish security, traffic and crowd management protocols with the police.
In addition to the above categories, under “Other,” Reilly said the committee recommended examining the sound system at the school to see if it could be relocated or redirected.
The committee also suggested considering off site parking at Middlesex Middle School or the Darien train station, banning game re-entry as well as reviewing guidelines after a year.
Neighbor Sallie Raleigh asked the board to address the comment regarding specifying the non-profit use to be sports teams rather than leave it open for charitable organizations in town.
The board discussed the next steps for the guidelines, which include a public hearing in February following the budget season beginning in January.
Chairman John Boulton said the public hearing would likely be the week of Feb. 11.
On Wednesday, Boulton said he was encouraged by the tone of the meeting and he was hoping the final decision would be an acceptable compromise on all sides.
E-mail Darien Times reporter Susan Shultz at
sshultz@darientimes.com.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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