BOE Recap: Controversy Over New Field Lights at SSHS

Five years ago, a group of Rockville Centre residents wanted to fundraise to put in new lights, a turf field and bleachers at South Side High School. That idea never came to fruition for a multitude of reasons, but that same group now has the money to install lights at the high school field and are offering it to the district as a gift.

Mark Ahern, a member of the RVC Athletic Council who brought the idea to the board at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, said the total cost of the lights would be around $350,000. Their group has raised $107,000, he said, and they would use a $250,000 state reimbursement grant to complete the work. The $350,000 includes everything, Ahern explained, from the towers for the lights to the labor and installation.

He explained that the lights, which are maintenance free for 25 years, are five times less bright than the lamps in the parking lot behind the scoreboard. The lights would be turned off by 8 p.m., and only used during the weekdays from March to April and September through the first week of November, Ahern noted.

"We want to move our teams out of Skelos and back on to the campus at South Side," Ahern said.

The last time Ahern's group wanted to move forward with this project, residents in close proximity to the field fought it. A lawsuit followed and though the district prevailed, a proposed bond to fund the renovation was voted down by residents.

Kelly Carr, a resident who lives near the field, said she is not against a turf field but is concerned that the installation of lights may decrease her home value. She cited a study in Arlington, VA where a high school in a residential neighborhood installed lights at its field, and property values around it dropped by 11 percent.

"The lights will diminish my property value by 11 percent," Carr said. "You can't have everything. This is where we compromise."

John Groarke, an opponent of the turf field and lights project five years ago, said that if the board accepts the gift, they are "putting the cart before the horse."

"This field is pathetic," he said. "If that money is offered specifically for the lights, forget about it. Put in a grass field first."

Other residents, like Ellen Cameron, said that though the district is known for outstanding academics, the school itself has not changed since she graduated in the 1970s. "This school has not changed and it's ludicrous," she said. "I think [new lights] we add value to my property, not diminish it."