Middlebrook Lights: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

On Monday night the public hearing on a proposed amendment to the zoning regulations to allow 70' lights to better illuminate Middlebrook Field  began with an admonishment from John Wilson, chairman of the P&Z commission.


"Check your emotion. If someone gets too excited, we'll ask you to leave," Wilson warned the crowd of approximately 50 who turned out for the hearing at Wilton Library.

With no time limit on how long members of the public could speak, there were those who spoke at length, taxing the patience of P&Z members, but the tone of the evening remained polite.

The attorney representing several local youth athletic leagues, Casey Healy, from the firm Gregory and Adams, described existing lighting standards that provide for lighting at 30' as adequate for parking lots but not for an athletic field, "where an athlete needs to see a ball coming at him."

Andrew Dyjak of Musco Sports Lighting  whose company designs and manufactures sports lighting systems, spoke in terms of lighting heights and beam patterns. Dyjak said that lighting from a height of 70' focuses a beam pattern better than that from a height of 30', describing the solution as simple geometry.

Dyjak, who brought along a photo blow-up of an athletic field at Amherst College illuminated at night with lights at height of 70', said that lighting at a lower height results in an athlete's ball rising above the light into the darkness and creating safety issues.

Forty-year Wilton resident, Anthony Lo Frisco spoke at length against the proposed regulations. Lo Frisco, who said he had previously been a member of the P&Z commission, remarked that one must be a Wilton property owner to present an application to amend the regulations and that Mr. Healey, as a hired attorney by the youth athletic leagues was therefore not in a position to propose the amendment. 

The hearing proceeded nevertheless, and Mr. Lo Frisco protested the proposed amendment, asking, "What if you have a tennis court in your back yard and you start a family foundation and allow people to play. Someone will come along and game the system. It's too cute." 

"We got a lot of lights here inWilton," concluded Mr. Lo Frisco. "We are not light deprived." 

Anna Maria Bilella, who introduced herself as the mother of three school age children and member of the board of the Wilton Youth Field Hockey, said that if there were more fields in town, that might reduce the need to illuminate fields at night, but there has been a growth in participation in youth sports and suggested that demand on existing fields resulted in a need to improve them. 

Jennifer Kendra, Wilton Youth Field Hockey president, said she represented 240 families and had a petition with 130 signatures supporting the lighting project. 

"There's not enough facilities in town," said Kendra. "I'd prefer not to be out there at 9:30 at night, but this is about giving youth a chance to be active. These facilities are paid for by us. People work all day and we need them to be able to play at night, after work. Our programs are growing and that is a good thing." 

A third parent, John McDermott, who said he is a coach and on the board of Wilton Youth Football, voiced his support for the project. "I live five houses away from Middlebrook School and have two boys who play sports. I like the sound of kids playing," he said.

More members of the public were at the hearing to speak out against the lighting project than in support of it.  Several residents who beseeched the commission not to approve the lighting proposal, described themselves as residents of Wilton for 20, 30, 40 or even, in the case of David Poole, 67 years. 
 
Dean Price who said he moved to Wilton in 1959 expressed his concern for wildlife. 

"This town is being defoliated. Stadium lights in my neighborhood is scary. We have a wonderful diversity of wildlife," Price said, adding that in consideration of wildlife, "Noise and light are bad." 

Price, who said he coached Pop Warner Little League in the past, said, "Yes the kids have to be safe, but what's to stop my neighbor from putting up stadium lights?"   

Dave Wallace who introduced himself as a 20-year resident of Wilton echoed the sentiment of Price and others who spoke in terms of aesthetics and the character of the town. 

"I moved here because of the rural character. I'm afraid we'll lose that," Wallace said.

Rich McCarty said he has lived in Wilton for 18 years and described years of complaining to the Board of Education each time the existing lights are not turned off at night.

"Why is it my burden to police the enforcement of the lights?" McCarty asked, going on to say that the proposed regulation changes would not be "site specific."

Several commenters suggested the proposed amendment regulation #13341, if approved, might in future be applied to private schools, churches or even private residences.

Paul Sobel, an attorney representing Mr. Lo Frisco, handed each P&Z commissioner a 3-ring binder with a set of documents and photos, and began his remarks by referring to the town's Plan of Conservation and Development. 

"All amendments have to be in line with the POCD and this proposal is inconsistent with it. The POCD's goal is to maintain dark nights, which the applicant made no mention of. The POCD specifically says a goal is to minimize light and noise pollution."

Sobel concluded his remarks with a warning. "Lights bring traffic. Think of aesthetics. Be careful what you wish for. You can't spot zone. You'll be altering the course of the future."

What is your opinion of the proposal to upgrade the lighting at Middlebrook? Tell us in the comments section below.

Note this article was updated to remove a remark attributed to John McDermott in error.