Residents try to play ball in issue of lighted fields

Mark Gleason

We asked our parent panelists this week: Neighbors near Kaiser

Elementary School have complained about the lighted fields for soccer

games and would like the city to restrict that in the future. What

role can the city play in balancing neighborhood concerns with the

need for recreation fields?

The cities of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach have done absolutely

abysmal jobs of responding to the pressing need for lighted

recreation fields. Turning off the lights at Kaiser is just another

step in the wrong direction.

Neighborhood concerns are balanced not by creative solutions, but

by simply taking precious recreation resources away from the

citizens. There are simply not enough lighted general-use fields in

either city, and those they do have are off-limits to most potential

users.

AYSO soccer has near-exclusive use of most of the lit fields in

both cities. In Newport Beach, lit fields reserved for AYSO use often

sit idle while other user groups are told that no fields are

available. In Costa Mesa, nobody other than AYSO soccer gets on the

Farm or TeWinkle school fields.

I support AYSO soccer, but it’s no longer the only game in town.

Recreation managers in both cities need to recognize that and deal

with it.

It’s not impossible to have both recreation and happy neighbors.

The Kaiser neighbors complained about the noise and smell of the

portable lights and the lack of respect that some users of the fields

displayed for the neighbors. Those are all legitimate concerns, but

all can be addressed.

Nobody likes portable lights. They stink, leak oil, make noise,

present safety hazards and project their light poorly. From the light

user’s perspective, they’re easily stolen, a pain to maintain and

expensive to operate.

But they are used because the cities have provided no other

options and forced groups like AYSO 97 and OCU Soccer to try to come

up with their own solutions. A better answer is permanent lighting,

but most neighbors wouldn’t be too excited about having an 80-foot

tower projecting 10,000 watts of light from sodium vapor lamps next

to their home.

There is a new generation of permanent field lighting that is low

profile and provides a very tightly focused lighted area. These types

of lights could easily be installed on fields in both cities. The

lighting times can be tightly controlled. Of course, these lights

cost money, and the cities will say they can’t afford it. Even that

objection can be overcome with some creativity.

There are soccer, rugby, lacrosse and football organizations in

both cities that would fund these lighting projects in exchange for

nonexclusive, scheduled access to the fields. The role that the

cities need to play is that of creative problem solvers and better

stewards of precious recreation resources.

The cities need to encourage outdoor activity as much as possible

instead of shutting down recreation at dark and sending kids inside

to watch TV or play video games.

* MARK GLEASON is a Costa Mesa resident and parent.

For more than two years the city Parks and Recreation Commission

and recreation department have been working with the school district

on this sensitive issue of balancing neighborhood quality of life and

problems generated from the teams using the fields.

More than three years ago, problems surfaced at the Tewinkle

School fields, and neighbors began complaining to the school board

and the city, bringing evidence that rules established in the Joint

Use Agreement had been broken.

These problems have been corrected because the neighbors’

complaints were taken seriously, and structure and order were brought

into complex field use system.

One by one, trash, noise, banners, port-a-potty, early and late

use and traffic problems were resolved by working with the residents

and coaches. Because there is such demand for fields and everyone

acknowledges the value of as many kids playing as possible, we have

to continue to work harder and spend extra time to listen and

understand all the issues on both sides.

I believe neighbors are entitled to a level of quality of life

they deserve as property owners. While it is true we lack enough

quality fields, that does not mean that certain neighbors have to

endure hardships because some fields, such as Tewinkle and Kaiser,

are used more than others.

The Kaiser neighbors already endure a lot of noise, traffic and

trash with the current use. Adding the lights has increased the

burden. We have to find other fields for these teams to use, and

according to the city staff, the fields are available, although not

necessarily on the Eastside.

I have been a Costa Mesa soccer parent since 1977 and have driven

all over the district and across the bay many times to take my kids

to practices and games. I don’t get to choose where they play and

practice, but I accept my transporting them to a field as part of my

parental duty, and I adjust my plans accordingly.

We definitely have a challenge trying to keep our kids playing on

fields. We need more fields. But we have been successful in working

out some problems. I would suggest the city convene a task force or

hold a special town hall meeting to focus on the concerns of all

interest groups. Involve the kids, too. The more public debate, the

better.

* WENDY LEECE is a Costa Mesa parent, former school board member

and member of the city’s parks and recreation commission.