Leagues try to light up the night

June Casagrande

In the never-ending struggle to help kids find places to play

sports, city staff members are recommending that the Parks, Beaches

and Recreation Commission approve a request to extend the hours of

lighting at five area playing fields.

Newport Beach Little League has asked that lighting hours be

extended until 9:45 p.m. at Lincoln Athletic Center’s fields 1 and 2

on Friday evenings between Feb. 7 and June 22, and until 7 p.m.

Saturdays from Feb. 15 through April 5.

The Newport Riptide youth sports organization has asked for longer

lighting hours for its upcoming Pacific Girls Fast Pitch Softball

Triple Crown Tournament. It is asking for lights until 9 p.m. Feb. 8

and until 8 p.m. Feb. 9 at Bonita Creek, Arroyo and Grant Howald

parks.

The Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. is asking for lights at Mariners

Park until 9 p.m. on various days between Feb. 10 and June 15.

“We’re not anticipating that any of these requests will be very

controversial, but at Mariners Park, there will have to be some

discussion with the neighbors,” said Andrea McGuire of the city’s

Recreation and Senior Services Department.

Unlike the other parks in question, Mariners Park does not have

lights. The baseball association would use portable lights at

Mariners, as it did in the spring when some neighbors did take issue

with lighting the park.

“Our goal is to have kids out there playing, utilizing the fields

we do have,” Recreation and Senior Services Director Marie Knight

said.

The additional lighting is needed partly because youth sports keep

growing in popularity, pushing the boundaries of what local fields

can accommodate. But part of the crunch is also due to the delayed

opening of the Bonita Canyon Sports Park.

Originally scheduled to open in April 2001, the $7-million sports

park suffered its biggest setback when contractor Castello Inc.

reneged on the deal due to financial problems. A July 2002 deadline

proved too ambitious, and city officials now estimate that the park

will be fully open in late spring or early summer -- not in time for

the upcoming sports season. Though most work is done there, they say

that the new grass planted in the infields and other park areas must

solidly take root before players are allowed on it.

But Newport Beach Little League board member John Della Grotta

disagrees. He plans to ask the commission to let the league play this

season at Bonita Canyon: The 7- to 12-year-old players don’t weigh

much, he said, and the league always replants infield grass when its

damaged by its teams.

“Anyone who goes out there and sees that grass would agree there’s

no reason for us to wait a whole year to get on those baseball

fields,” Della Grotta said.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.