Document text
Lights controversy dims By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings After almost two years in operation, the floodlights that shine on the North Mountain Park soccer field have been a boon to sports enthusiasts and have not seriously disrupted surrounding neighborhoods. "We're thrilled with the increased field availability it gives us," said Myron Hudson, president of the Ashland Soccer Club. Soccer players take to the pitch at North Mountain Park during a nighttime game illuminated by light towers. Tidings file photo Fears that the lights would glare on homes, and night practices and games would lead to increased noise, litter and parking problems prompted a series of mediated community meetings. Dozens of neighbors voiced concerns about possible impacts. The Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission eventually decided to light one field per year at the park if sports supporters would pay one-third of the nearly $70,000 cost to light a field. The Ashland Soccer Club pledged to pay the sum, paving the way for the installation of the soccer field lights in 2001. Baseball and softball supporters have not raised the money needed to light the other fields. For North Mountain Avenue resident Ed Colson, who lives across the street from the park, the lights have created no problems. "I find it to be no trouble at all," Colson said. "I like the fact that I live across from one big park. No one's ever going to build in front of me." He said any parking problems along the avenue, which has a limited number of parking bays, are caused by residents themselves, not from any spill-over from sporting events. North Mountain Park features several parking lots along with athletic fields and a natural area. Fellow neighbor Brenda Paustian said she enjoys listening to the sounds of kids playing at the park - a sentiment echoed by many neighbors - and also notices adults are using the lighted soccer field as well. "It's nice that it seems like they're using the field a lot," she said. "A lot of older people are playing at night during the week. That seems good." The lights have allowed more working adults to coach youth soccer teams and to play adult soccer games at night, according to Hudson and Brad Roupp, head coach for the soccer club. "It's not feasible to start right after school for most coaches," Hudson said. Prior to the installation of the lights, adult games were restricted to weekend afternoons and the weekday evening leagues didn't exist, Roupp said. "It's allowed approximately 160 adults to play soccer at times when they can get to the fields," he said. "So many people work. Having lights extends the playing hours and allows more people to enjoy the game." The result is that there are more active, healthy people in Ashland, Roupp said. About 300 youths participate in soccer through the soccer club, according to Hudson. Youth practices usually are scheduled on the field first, followed by adult games later in the evening. Ashland High School soccer teams are restricted from playing Southern Oregon Conference games under the lights because not all schools have lighted soccer fields, according to Ashland High School Athletic Director Jim Nagel. Summer has cut down on sports activities under the glow, but the lights are on as often as five nights a week in the fall and winter, Monday through Friday, with Saturdays and Sundays designated as dark nights. Games are over at 9:15 p.m. and the lights shut off at 9:30 p.m., according to soccer organizers. Under parks policy, groups pay $25 each evening that they use the lights. Ultimate Frisbee enthusiasts are among those who use the field in addition to soccer players. While most neighbors said they are not seriously affected by the lights, others have a different view. Neighbor Bill Anderson said noise from the field carries, aided by the shape of the valley. "It's an unnecessary intrusion," he said. "A lot of money was spent to put in lights that are not used a great deal of the time. Some nights the lights are on and no people are on the field. The thing that bothered me is that so many fields in town sit empty a great deal of the time." Soccer supporters contend fields in town are heavily used, with players spread out at North Mountain Park, an Ashland Family YMCA field and Ashland Middle School and grade school fields - with two teams often practicing on each field at one time. Lighting the soccer field increased capacity without the Ashland Parks and Recreation Department or Ashland School District having to buy additional property and develop athletic facilities, they said. "It multiplies the number of fields we have," Hudson said. Parks Commissioner JoAnne Eggers said she hears the lights have had minimal impact on neighbors, but she sees light spilling into the park's natural area that borders Bear Creek. "My big disappointment is that the lights really do light up the natural area," Eggers said. Commissioners may be faced with the issue of lights potentially impacting a wildlife-rich riparian area in the near future. Users of Ashland's dog park, located just uphill from Bear Creek off Helman Street, plan to ask commissioners to allow lighting there. The dog park is bordered by the Ashland Wastewater Treatment Plant and Ashland Greenhouses, rather than dense housing developments like those near North Mountain Park. Although several North Mountain Park neighbors said the lights have had less impact on them than they initially feared, they noted that lighting up additional athletic fields would be cause for concern. "It worked out better than we thought�. But if they lit up the softball and baseball fields, that would be more intrusive," said Bill Kreglow, who lives on a knoll overlooking the park. "If I had my choice, I would prefer they weren't." For now, no plans are in the works for lighting additional fields. "It would be a great dream," said Rich Beugli, Ashland High School softball coach. "I keep asking people if they have an extra $25,000, but no one's given me any money yet." Nagel said baseball and softball supporters may not be in a financial position to raise the funds needed to light their fields as soccer supporters did. "The soccer community in particular has really benefited from it," he said. "Hopefully, softball and baseball will be able to reap the same benefits. But as more housing developments go in, there will probably be more people who are apt to be opposed. It will be more challenging in the future." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -