A decision on whether the Highland Park High School girls softball team should have lights at their stadium, one that has been in the making for over two years now, still was not reached at Tuesday’s University Park city council meeting.
Since the softball field sits right in the middle of a residential area in University Park, the potential light spillover and noise from games and practices present concerns to nearby homeowners.
UP Chief Planning Official Harry Persaud told council that from the 69 notices sent to residents within 200 feet of the field, only 21 responded—but 19 were opposed to the lights. Most cited the noise and brightness as reasons for rejecting the lights.
The lights, if installed, would be turned on for all HPHS softball games and for non-district related youth sports programs. Operated remotely, the lighting would be turned off at 9 p.m. on weeknights.
Jerry Sutterfield, who is a past girls athletic director for Highland Park ISD, said softball is one of the fastest growing athletic programs in the district but is at a disadvantage.
Now the district’s coordinator for student integrity and compliance, Sutterfield said the he led the effort to organize two neighborhood forums in the fall of 2012 to gather public opinion on the lights. In February 2013, the school board voted for the field lighting, subject to the city council’s approval.
The apprehension of some University Park residents, especially those who live in close proximity to the field, include noise from the PA system at the field and the possibility of the light poles breaking in high winds.
But Sutterfield and the company HPISD has chosen, Musco Lighting, say that the particular lighting to be installed at the field will have minimum glare.
A Musco representative said that the company was an “innovator” in the lighting industry, adding that their technology has been designed to direct light rather than reflect it. Seventy percent of the light would shine precisely onto the field, compared to the 35 percent number he said competitors’ lighting directs. SMU’s Ford Stadium, Allen Stadium, Highlander Stadium and several others have used Musco lighting.
The proposed lighting would also benefit the HPHS tennis teams. UP dad Mark Strickland said his family is on the road an additional eight to nine hours per week to travel to a training facility outside the Park Cities.
Ginna Klein, a senior softball captain, said she and her teammates never have enough time to get mentally and physically prepared for their games because they have to start right after school. If they start at 4 p.m., they can be done before the sun goes down and give the JV squad a chance to play at least a few innings.
Another softball player, Grace Shike, said other sports have the advantage over softball players, citing gender inequity.
“If the boys baseball team has lights, why can’t the girls softball team have lights?” she said.
Other parents said their kids were falling behind in class. Players are forced to leave academic classes early to make their 4 p.m. start times. That cycle, one softball player said, created a domino effect where the girls have a difficult time playing catch up.
John Henrich, a relatively new resident of University Park, said he and several neighbors on Druid Lane “don’t really object to the lights” but offered a condition for the council—that they restrict their usage.
Henrich said he had no issues with district-sanctioned, UIL games being played with lights on the softball field but doesn’t want the field lighting to be available to private users. Having club teams there on what could effectively be every weeknight, if there were no restrictions, would be, Henrich said, a “recipe to drive everyone on the block insane.”
Morton Newman, a UP resident for 53 years, simply asked council to consider how much is too much on citizens when it comes to the lighting and noise.
When the public hearing wrapped, Mayor Dick Davis and council members didn’t seem to have enough information to move forward.
“I am concerned that there does not appear to be a clear understanding of either side,” Davis said.
Plus, council is waiting to review data measuring the noise levels directly outside the softball stadium. Once they have decibel numbers for the PA system and music, they can determine the standards and restrictions for HPISD’s softball field.
A final judgment on lighting at the softball field is expected in November.