Darien Times
Darien High School stadium lights: Support outweighs opposition
Feb 21, 2008

Despite strong attempts to keep it balanced, the Board of Education’s public hearing on stadium lights tipped heavily on the side of supporters.

In numbers and props, signs of support were everywhere.

Supporters flooded the high school lobby, greeting arrivals with “Unite Under the Lights” buttons and offering information and petitions to sign.

Large banners saying the same were hung from the auditorium, one covered with signatures indicating support.  

About half of the approximately 75 attendees were youth athletes.

And all but three of the approximately 20 speakers were in support of the lights.

Between light supporters, Board of Education Chairman John Boulton prompted neighbors to respond to positive statements.

Often, neighbors did respond to his suggestion — but in support of the lights.

Boulton opened the hearing by saying the tone would be civilized.

“There will be no hisses or catcalls. Everyone is going to hear something we don’t like, but when this is all over, we are all going to be neighbors again after this,” he said.

The opening comment was from Walter Raleigh. Raleigh has been the spokesman for the high school neighbors who have been opposed to the lights since they were proposed nearly two years ago.

“I represent 120 families living in the neighborhood who are opposed to the lights. We have not agreed to any lights usage and we have conveyed our reasons for opposition,” he said.

At the last public hearing in the fall of 2006, Raleigh submitted a petition signed by 165 individuals from 123 households against the lights.

Last 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.

Objections by the neighbors included noise, traffic, litter and general interference in quality of life.

Raleigh said the neighbors are “reasonable people” but do not feel that the limits on the lights set by the Board of Ed were a compromise and said that the board has not considered the neighbors in the process.

He also said the initial reason for the lights was lack of field space, and that he and his group have monitored field usage and found that many fields go unused.

Raleigh said comparisons to other area high schools are not valid as New Canaan is in a park area and Wilton High School is in a “commercial zone,” while Darien is in a residential area.

Raleigh’s comments were met with scattered applause.

Following his comments, Lisa Wensberg, who represented the “Unite Under the Lights” campaign, showed a picture slideshow set to Natalie Merchant’s “These Are the Days” with various images of adults to children holding up signs in support of the lights.

Wensberg also delivered two huge bags of signed petitions in favor of the lights to the board.

The conclusion of the film was a massive group of children shouting “United under the lights.”

After the film, several of the high school’s team captains spoke in favor of the lights, as well as some representatives of Darien’s Junior Football League.

The junior football team’s Patrick McDonald said fading light in the evenings makes practicing football dangerous, and he would love to play under the lights at the high school.

“It would be one of the many highlights of my high school career,” he said.

Captains of the girls’ field hockey team, including Ally Townsend, said fading light means some of the junior varsity games are cut short.

And Nikki Dysenchuk, one of the high school football team captains,  said lights on the field would make it easier for seniors to take the SATs and visit colleges because it would free up more weekend time.

Captains of the girls’ soccer team, including Megan Gilbert, said lights on the field would be a source of pride for student athletes.

“We would be able to cheer on our peers,” Megan said.

Graham Christiansen, representing the boys’ soccer team, said often youth soccer teams are forced to practice on non-soccer fields due to lack of field space.

He also said the debate over the lights is a “less extreme form of eminent domain.”

“It’s at the expense of a few neighbors but to the benefit of the whole community,” he said.

Caroline Spillane, representing girls’ lacrosse, said lights will enable the team to host a night game. She also said practicing in the heat of the day can be exhausting.

A neighbor, Jamie Fee, spoke against the lights.

“I was once told if given a choice between two opposites, go with a third choice. I’m not against the lights, I’m for sports,” he said.

Fee said he was very impressed with sports at the high school, and “no one can deny it is pleasurable to play under the lights.”

However, he said he is a landowner, and the country was founded on the principle of owning land. Fee also said the neighbors were not “irrational curmudgeons,” but said he would not abrogate his rights as a landowner by supporting the notion of eminent domain.

Fee also congratulated the board on its “hard work on this issue.”

Wensberg, of the United Under the Lights Committee, said the kids in the slideshow she presented were just a “fraction of kids who support the lights.”

Wensberg gave a presentation on the technology of the lights and how they work.

“The lights have shields which are stronger than ever before, they are so tight that the lights won’t spill over.”

Wensberg said there has been a “groundswell of support,” including 1,500 online petition signatures and 1,000 on paper.

She said her group had received many letters of support, including some from high school neighbors who didn’t want to speak publicly because they disagreed with the group against the lights.

Wensberg also referenced an online poll at DarienTimes.com, which on the evening of the hearing had been up for one week. That night, after 1,246 votes were cast, it showed 91 percent in favor of the lights, eight percent against and one percent without an opinion. One week later, on Wednesday, Feb. 20, with 2,456 votes cast, 81 percent were in favor, and 18 percent against. This is not a scientific poll.

She referenced the United Under the Lights Web site, dhslights.com, which offered a petition for those in favor to sign.

Following Wensberg, several more speakers spoke in favor of the lights.

Another neighbor opposed to the lights, Cheryl Russell, spoke about the impact of the lights on her home. She questioned the additional cost of police to work at nighttime games, and asked how many of those who signed supporting petitions were “tax paying adults.”

“I love football games, they are wonderful outlets for children.”

However, Russell said she would not enjoy the sounds of the games at 10 p.m.

“The older you get, the earlier you go to bed,” she said.

At least 10 more speakers came forward in favor of the lights, including several neighbors.

On the way out, supporters continued their campaign, handing out small lights that said “United Under the Lights.”

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

The board’s lights committee put together a set of limits for the lights this past fall that, in addition to allowing one conference event, regulates the shut off time for the lights, which would be 8 p.m. for practices during the week, 9 p.m. for weekend games other than football, which would end by 10 p.m.

On Wednesday, Boulton confirmed the board is scheduled to vote on the lights at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 26.

“I don’t see why we wouldn’t vote next week,” he said.

If the board votes yes on the lights, the plan moves on to Planning & Zoning for review.

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

Previously on DarienTimes.com
One more hearing before DHS stadium lights decision Feb. 7
Board of Ed tweaks stadium lights’ limits Jan. 24
EDITORIAL: Anywhere but here Dec. 15
Darien High School stadium lights would have limits   Dec. 13


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