“06880” political correspondent John H. Palmer reports:
The Planning & Zoning Commission last night closed public hearings on the long debate over whether to allow the Parks & Recreation Department to install 70-foot lighting poles on 2 athletic fields.
However, commissioners stopped short of actually making an official decision.
Closing the hearing was a legal necessity. The issue has consumed the town and public for most of the summer. Officials faced an August 27 deadline to either close the hearing, or have the Parks & Recreation Department withdraw its special permit site application, then resubmit it to restart the clock on deliberations.
The hearing closure allows the planners to review the large volume of submitted information. They will deliberate — and eventually vote — on the application when they reconvene in September.
“Now the hard work starts,” P&Z chair Paul Lebowitz told his board. “The record has a lot to review, and I implore you not to have any gaps in your knowledge, fully equipped based on what we’ve done here.”
Lights have been proposed for PJ Romano Field …
Last night’s discussion of the lighting proposal was a follow-up to July 20, when the P&Z asked Parks & Rec officials for updated reviews of the design from Musco Lighting.
The commission has received hundreds of emails in support of and in opposition to the 2 separate proposals to add permanent lights to both PJ Romano Field (behind Saugatuck Elementary School) and the Wakeman turf field at Bedford Middle School.
The Wakeman proposal has drawn the most attention, as it is located in a residential area. Proponents say the lights — LED fixtures attached to 70-foot poles — are necessary to increase youth playing time in a town where athletics is important and field access is limited.
Those in favor of the lights point out that design measures would minimize impacts on surrounding properties, including down-directed LED fixtures.
Student athletes have complained about missing up 3 hours some days, because games must be scheduled before the sun goes down.
“It’s unfair that every school in Fairfield County has lights and we don’t,” said Emme Dorfman, a Staples High School girls soccer captain during the public hearing portion of Monday evening’s meeting. “We can travel to them, but we can’t host them. The youth in our town and in the future should be a priority.”
Opponents have expressed concerns about noise, light spillage into surrounding neighborhoods, and effects on migratory birds.
Nick Quatrano, parks superintendent, said the town plans to plant 22 10-foot red cedar trees, staggered in 2 rows, as well as Norway spruce trees to help mitigate visual disturbances.
“That’s a tree that gets very large and should provide ample visual screening,” he said. “We will pay conscious attention to making sure that buffer is maintained.”
… and the Wakeman turf field (center).
Another quality-of-life issue involves amplified noise, of particular concern to Wakeman neighbors. Many teams use speakers to play as they warm up.
“It’s wonderful that we can make the money [from outside groups renting the fields], but that’s not the point here,” said Representative Town Meeting (RTM) member Jill Grayson Monday evening.
“If you go by Wakeman there’s a lot of music coming out of those practices. We have to figure out a way to deal with the noise and disruption to neighbors.” She said that she has seen groups at the field partying from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. “We can’t have people’s houses desecrated by people on the field until late at night.”
Parks & Recreation officials, the applicant for lighting, have toed the line between providing lighted fields to help bolster the availability of fields for the many adult and youth athletics in town, as well as the potential for revenue generated by renting the fields to outside groups.
To allay fears that outside groups using fields may disrupt neighborhoods, Parks & Rec director Eric Barbieri presented a usage policy that would require rentals to pay for a staff member to be present. They would monitor lights, notify groups when time is up, ensure that equipment is returned and not damaged, make sure noise is kept down, and that field and spectator areas are left in good condition.
“I have no problem pulling anyone’s permit,” Barbieri said. “If they can’t adhere to a policy, they won’t be able to use it.”
P&Z member Michael Cammeyer said he is not sure having a staff member present is the best option.
“Are we really going to hire a babysitter to monitor the use of the field and charge the user?” he asked. He would like to see a review after the first season, to determine if the policy was abused.
Another view of Wakeman Field.
Liebowitz agreed that the policy would be a good guardrail. “If the training wheels can come off, that’s great,” he said. “We’ll give (Parks & Rec) some muscle to flex on how to handle this going forward. I’d like to see that first season review.”
Commissioner Craig Schiavone expressed concern about lighting on Wakeman Road at night. She would like a public safety review about the safety of people exiting the fields at night.
Barbieri said that the town has temporary lighting that can be used for safety. Meanwhile, a landscape architect will explore more permanent safety lighting options for the area.
“If I had a title for this, I’d call it ‘Promises, Promises’,” said Valerie Seiling Jacobs during the public comment session.
“I don’t see why P&Z should be held hostage to the detriment of the neighbors. I don’t think planting 10-foot trees is going to solve the problems. The neighbors have made it clear. It’s great to have promises but when push comes to shove, it’s the neighbors who need to be protected.”
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