Field Lights Rep Details Work to Board of Education

A representative from a sports lighting company detailed the work needed to install field lights at  at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, answering questions on light spillage, how long installation would take and overall costs.

Don Rhuda, a representative from Musco Lighting, said that four poles, two on each side of the field, fitted with ten lights each would be installed at the 10-15 yard line outside of the track. The poles on the school side, Rhuda said, would be about 80 feet high, while the ones on the other side would be about 70 feet. Reflectors would be put on top of the lights, angling light downward and onto the field, rather than on surrounding homes.

"The amount of spill lighting is minimal," Rhuda said.

Foundations for the poles would be around 16-18 feet deep and 30 inches in diameter, Rhuda said. The pre-cast installed in the ground is hollow, reinforced concrete, and the poles can sustain wind gusts of up to 150 MPH. The lights are maintenance free for 25 years, he added, including parts and labor, and can be operated remotely and fitted with security cameras if needed. RVC Electric would power the lights, not LIPA, and Rhuda said because of that, "the rate spending per kilowatt is much suppressed."

Musco makes the equipment, he said, but it would be installed by "well-versed contractors" who the company uses on a regular basis. He said winter time is the best time to install the lights because the the ground is solid, and would take about four weeks to complete. It would cost $144,000 for the equipment and $180,000 for the installation. The RVC Athletic Council has $107,000 in cash and a $250,000 grant for the work.

District Athletic Director Carol Roseto said that if the lights were installed, she could double up on team practices at the high school, and junior varsity boys and girls lacrosse could play their home games at the high school rather than at a neutral site. Though she did not know exactly how much the school would save by practicing and playing more games at the high school, she did say it costs $275 per bus to transport students to other fields.

Dave Howard, a member of the RVC Athletic Council, said that if there were leftover funds, the group would like to install new bleachers at the high school.