DJFL Seeking Second Approval For Temporary Lights

Correction appended.

Reviving a debate that stretched well into the last football season, the Darien Junior Football League came before the Planning & Zoning Commission Tuesday to request permission to use practice lights at Holahan Field and Darien High School for another fall.

Notably, the matter appeared set for a much quicker resolution than in 2009, as the league was able to point to a generally positive track record from using the lights at both locations last year.

The group's Holahan proposal asked for the of use 3 diesel-powered light poles from Monday to Friday between Oct. 11 and Nov. 19. Under the plan, coaches and DJFL board members would be responsible for overseeing their use, which would be restricted to the hours of 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. "as the amount of daylight necessitates."

League representatives John Sini and Guy Wisinski told the board that feedback from neighbors had, with the exception of one family, been overwhelmingly positive after last season's run with the lights, despite the noise and light output.

Sini said that league had still researched the possibility of setting up electric lights at Holahan similar to those used at DHS, but that the hurdles involved would make that prohibitively difficult.

Since the DHS lights were altered from diesel to electric, Sini said, the firm that owns them has been unable to rent them to any other customers, making it unlikely that the town could request additional conversions.

"At this stage of the game, I don't think that's going to happen," he added.

On top of that, it wasn't clear where electric equipment could be plugged in, Sini said, as a Connecticut Light & Power representative had told them neighboring Town Hall wasn't able to provide enough output for the power-hungry lights.

That could change if Town Hall undergoes renovations for a proposed pool, he added. But absent that, the alternatives—such as paying to plug into neighboring houses or modifying a town-owned plot on Cherry Street obtained by a FEMA award—are too expensive or risk violating the terms of the grant.

Chairman Fred Conze was supportive of the proposal but voiced interest in a permanent electrical setup for the field.

"Whether or not you guys continue to practice down here ... I think there should be power down there for anyone," Conze said.

Vice chairman Joe Spain expressed continuing concern about the noise levels, urging Sini and Wasinski to seek a better long-term solution.

"All of the things you've done, I agree, are exemplary ... but this sound of the diesel is something that you all recognize—and I don't think there's any question that does impact on the neighbors," Spain said.

"That doesn't mean we wouldn't consider extending your permissions one more year, but I think a condition of that might be that every effort to eliminate .... the diesel in subsequent years would not be an unreasonable condition," he added.

After selectwoman Callie Sullivan rose during the public comment period to convey the Board of Selectmen's support for the measure, the commission voted unanimously to close the public hearing.

Sini and Waskinski then turned immediately to the second prong of their presentation, asking the commission for the use of the electric lights at DHS for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The Board of Education already has a similar permit for its athletic programs through 2011.

The proposal would allow the league to use six plug-in lights already in service for DHS practices from Monday to Friday between November 1 and the point at which the last DJFL team is eliminated from the playoffs (November 19 at the latest). Coaches and board members would be allowed to keep the lights on from the end of high school activities until 7 p.m.

Walter Raleigh, a neighbor who has pushed back against similar lighting proposals in the past, said that while the plug-in lights "totally eliminated the noise problem we had two years ago" when diesel units were tried, the setup still violates zoning restrictions.

Raleigh circulated a series photos which appeared to show direct light shining on a neighboring residence, noting also that a great deal of spillage reflects off of the school building.

"We do hope that there is some resolution to this," Raleigh said.

Though reactions from the commission appeared generally positive, the final vote on the DHS proposal will be held at a later meeting.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the board voted to approve the Holahan Field proposal Tuesday. In fact, the board only voted to close the public hearing on the measure; the final vote will take place at a future date. Patch regrets the error.