PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION PREVIEW

The Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation commission is scheduled to pick four athletic fields to receive temporary portable lights needed for youth sports evening practices in the fall.

The City Council directed the commission to pick the four athletic fields after allocating $100,000 to buy the portable lights in the city’s 2006-07 budget.

The subject of providing lighting for athletic fields has prompted heated discussions at meetings.

City staffers are working on a permanent lighting solution for the fields that may take up to 10 months. That timeframe includes a design, an environmental review and installation of the lights.

City staff will give information on various available lighting systems that can be used in the fields. After the commission chooses the four fields, residents who live near them will be able to voice their concerns at a public hearing to be scheduled in August.