Darien Times
Board of Ed tweaks stadium lights’ limits
Jan 24, 2008

After almost two years in darkness, an official proposal to add stadium lights at Darien High School is nearly finalized.

At Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, initial limits proposed by the lights committee were tweaked. Among the changes made was opening up the stadium to conference championship games, which would might not include a Darien team.

Darien would offer to host up to one sport’s conference final and two semi-final games each school year — either in the fall or spring. This would add up to two nights to the limit of how many night games would be permitted per year. Last month, the board had considered limiting night games to 12 times in the fall and 10 times in the spring.

Board of Ed Chairman John Boulton recommended the school offer to host Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference championship games, which are played on neutral sites. The previous plan would have required Darien to be one of the teams playing. Boulton said the board didn’t want to send the message that the field was exclusively Darien’s.

“We’re a member of the FCIAC and should be doing our share,” he said.

Board of Ed member George Reilly, chairman of the lights committee, said adding the conference games was considered and he would support adding them.

Board member Morgan Whittier said he would only support hosting conference championship games if they adhered to the rest of the light limits, including the time the lights needed to be shut off. The rest of the board agreed.

An additional change to the light limits was to remove a restriction that only the Darien High School band would be allowed to play at a night game. The tweaked proposal would allow a visiting band to play.

George Reilly, chairman of the lights committee, along with board members Clara Sartori and Heather Shea, put together the proposal after doing research regarding the lights.

A previous report submitted to the board included background, summaries of the opposing and supporting viewpoints, interviews with neighboring school districts that have lighted fields, the schedule of how the lights are used, and the impact the lights have on the surrounding neighbors and environment. Interviews with consultants were also included.

Other potential limits at DHS include who would use the lighted field, namely Darien High School athletics and not-for-profit youth sports organizations. Adult athletic leagues would not be permitted to use the lighted field.

The lights would not be used on Sundays, during the summer, and from the end of the fall sports season until the beginning of the spring season.

Lights used for practices would have to be out by 8 p.m. Lights used for games would have to be turned off by 9 p.m., other than football games, which would need to end by 10 p.m.

Night games would also be limited to either a Friday or Saturday but not back-to-back weekend nights.

The board received a proposal from Rusty Shriner in June 2006 for four 80-foot light poles. The proposal was also presented to the Board of Selectman.

“By adding lights, the stadium field can be utilized for more hours in the day, a strategy almost all towns in lower Fairfield County have incorporated,” he told the Board of Education at the time.

Shriner said the lights, which would be funded through private donations, would also allow the town to host various FCIAC and state tournament playoff games.

In September 2006, about 100 people attended a public information meeting held jointly by the Board of Education and the Board of Selectmen in the high school auditorium.

Walter “Bud” Raleigh, who represented the high school neighbors against the lights, submitted a petition signed by 165 individuals from 123 households against the lights.

At the board’s meeting on Sept. 12 last year, Boulton said he did not think the board was ready to make a decision on the lights. He deferred the process until spring after concluding that budget season.

This past May, the board received a letter from an attorney representing “an indeterminate amount” of high school neighbors threatening legal action if the board goes forward with the lights plan.

The limits on the lights were first proposed at a board meeting last month.

A public hearing will be held on the lights proposal on Feb. 13 at 7:30 at the Darien High School auditorium.

Following the public hearing, Boulton said he expects the board to reach a conclusion on the lights by the next meeting.

“At the second meeting in February, I think it is time for the board to decide on this lights issue.”

E-mail Darien Times reporter Susan Shultz at sshultz@darientimes.com.

Previously on DarienTimes.com
EDITORIAL: Anywhere but here Saturday, Dec. 15
Darien High School stadium lights would have limits  Thursday, Dec. 13


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