By Kerri Williams

WESTPORT – The Planning & Zoning Commission on Monday took a step forward on a controversial proposal about adding lights to two athletic fields in town. In a split vote, the commission closed the public hearing that had gone into a fifth meeting. A final vote on the matter is expected in September. 

The commission voted 4-2 to close the hearing on proposals from the Parks & Recreation Department to add lighting to both PJ Romano field on Riverside Avenue and Wakeman B field on North Avenue. The vote came after Erik Barbieri, director of Parks & Recreation, presented new plans on landscaping, sound mitigation, and management practices for the fields and several neighbors and sporting representatives spoke emotionally about how the lights would affect them.

Chairman Paul Lebowitz and members Breanne Injeski, Michael Cammeyer and Michael Calise voted in favor of closing the hearing, while Patrizia Zucaro and alternate Nicole Laskin voted against.

“I’m really struggling with this,” Laskin said when asked if she was ready to close the hearing. Earlier in the meeting, Laskin had told parks director Barbieri that she wanted more information about why the lights are necessary and if there are alternative solutions.

“The commission has to trust us,” Barbieri responded. He went on to say that needing more field time for athletes in town is “a simple fact.” “We need fields,” he said. “The proof is in the pudding.”

The meeting included a last chance for Wakeman Field neighbors, who are concerned about light and noise in the evenings, to speak out.

Frank Dubinsky, one of the Whippoorwill Lane neighbors, pointed out that the proposal still contains the same hours of lighting as it did when it was first brought forward in May, with play under the lights allowed until 9 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays and until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Barry Beattie, the Staples girls’ varsity soccer coach who spoke on Monday, said he thought the lights should go off at 8 p.m. “That’s my opinion,” he said. “I have no interest in keeping kids on fields after 9 p.m. at night.”

Another neighbor said he would like to see more concessions from the Parks and Recreation Department. “Hey, maybe not so late,” said Eric Lowenthal of Melon Patch Lane. “This is not even close to being acceptable.”

Neighbor Diana Mashia said she has always enjoyed living close to the fields but also noted that there was a natural end point when it got dark. “We should not have to prove that darkness and quiet has a value,” she said.

Another neighbor, who lives closest to the field, spoke briefly about the implications of sleep deprivation on adolescents. “It’s an obvious thing to consider when practice ends at 9 p.m.,” said Christoper Mashia, with students still needing to eat dinner, unwind and finish homework. “This is not a smart decision for those students.”

P&Z chairman Lebowitz cut Mashia’s remarks short, saying he was off topic from the lighting proposal.  

Later, neighbor Shelby Keefer pointed out that Mashia was cut off. “Please listen to us,” she said. “By and large our suggestions have been ignored.”

Emme Dorfman, a captain on the Staples soccer team, spoke out in favor of the lights, saying she was representing the entire team. “It’s unfair that almost every other town has lights,” she said. “…Prioritizing the youth of our town is important.”

In their discussion about the proposal, commissioner Zucaro said she still needs more information, specifically about what the lights would look like. The current plan calls for 70-foot poles at both fields. Cammeyer and Lebowitz said they disagreed and felt they had enough information on the lights, adding that members went on a site visit to visualize the change.

Town Attorney Ira Bloom pointed out that the commission needed to close the public hearing this month or the applicant would have needed to resubmit their proposal.

“This has dragged on for a while,” Bloom said, adding that he has a good idea of what the lights would look like. He said that it is reasonable that some members might forget information during a process that has taken months.

After commissioners voted to close, Lebowitz said, “Now the hard work starts.” He said members should be familiar with the details, including comments and letters, when commissioners discuss the proposal for a final vote in September.

Kerri Williams

^{_{Kerri Williams is an award-winning writer and journalist. She has worked as a reporter at the Norwalk Hour, as Living editor at the Darien News-Review, and managing editor for the Norwalk Citizen-News. For Westport Journal, she is a reporter as well as a gardening columnist, writing “Cultivating with Kerri.” She recently published her first children’s book – “Mabel’s Big Move,” based on her daughter with special needs.}}