Question Mark Left Looming Over Lights

Tuesday evening, the Planning & Zoning Commission met for yet another evening of much deliberation and no decision.

A question mark still looms over the use of temporary practice lights at the high school; the discussion is ongoing. Five members of the commission will meet on Friday afternoon for more deliberation and this time, a vote. But members say that decision will just be a “band-aid,” a temporary fix for a permanent problem.

“This kind of patchwork is not going to suffice the need for safe practice,” said Vice-Chairman Peter Bigelow.

The need for safe, well-lit athletic practices is shared by many. Consequently, there are a number of practice lights proposals. The Darien Junior Football League put forth two applications this summer: a proposal for the use of temporary practice lights at Holahan Field, which was approved under amended terms at last week’s P&Z; and a second for the use practice lights at the Darien High School stadium field.

The latter dovetails with the Board of Education’s application. Same lights. Same place. Different time frame. The BOE have proposed to use the lights from the first week of November through the last fall sport practice (football is generally the last team on the field, but they may not make playoffs this year); if approved, the DJFL will use the field for just over two weeks in November. Where the BOE have included a “lights out by 6 p.m.” condition, the DJFL have asked to use the field from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Furthermore, unlike the DJFL’s one-year pilot, the decision over the BOE’s application will stand for three years. 

It was these two “high school lights” proposals that came before the commission at their Oct. 13 meeting, where they discussed—once again—the issues raised by lawyers and concerned neighbors.

Attorney Greg Cava spoke at last week’s public hearing. Cava would not disclose exactly who he represents, but said it was about 20 families whose homes abut high school grounds. In a nearly three-hour spar, Cava debated with the commission, raising issue with most of the applications' conditions. A few were addressed last night.

One of Cava’s concerns was the seemingly ignored servitude agreement with former high school neighbors to additional tree buffers. While budget is tight and does not allow for major landscaping, P&Z member M. Reese Hutchison said that a few “Christmas trees at like $100 each” would suffice. Gwynne Grimes said it was important that the buffer stay natural, as per neighbors’ request. Bigelow agreed he would also like to see a “beefed up barrier.”

A second concern was the negative impact of practice lights on nearby property values. Hutchison, a real estate agent, said that it was a flawed argument in that agents would be under no obligation to disclose that information to clients.  It would be no different, he said, than two residential neighbors arguing over the proposed construction of a tennis court.

The commission discussed a final specific concern of Cava regarding sound. The lights will use the high school’s power as opposed to noisier generators; but it is the ambient sound of a practice at 7 p.m., perhaps more intrusive than one at 4 p.m., that concerns the neighbors. Bigelow said it was a deficiency in both applications, as neither addressed this issue and that he would like to see that information collected.

Bigelow went on to say he was “on the fence” about the terms of the "lights-out condition." Should the commission set a single curfew, and leave the decision over field time with the two parties? Or, should the commission set two curfews, delineating clear practice times for each applicant? Secretary Joseph Spain said that one decision will be made for each and stressed the importance of setting strong, clear conditions for the BOE that will hold for three years (subject to tweaking).

Spain went on to say that the Holahan Field decision, which cut the cut the time by 15 minutes, set precedent. He considered shortening the DJFL’s proposal at the high school to match Holahan’s "lights-out by 7 p.m." condition.

Bigelow said, and others agreed, that both parties need to set clear protocol for neighbors to file complaints.

At least five members of the P&Z commission will meet at Town Hall on Friday, Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. to vote on the proposals.

“These are tough decisions,” said Hutchison, “Maybe both sides will hate us, and we’ll never get that big thank you.”

But even after Friday’s decision, Bigelow said, the discussion over practice lights will continue—for a long time.

“Some great minds in Darien are going to have to start thinking long and hard about what to do, and start getting creative,” said Bigelow. “This is just a bandage. It gets the job done, but to no one’s satisfaction.”