Let There be Light: School Board Accepts $150,000 Donation for York Stadium Lights

For nine months, Elmhurst Unit District 205, along with the Elmhurst Zoning and Planning Commission, has been pondering the best way to get the most use out of the York High School stadium without .

But on Tuesday night, the School Board voted unanimously to accept what stadium neighbor Jacob Hill called a “fair and equitable solution for all parties.” Hill had been a vocal opponent to the district’s plan to increase stadium use.

School Board members voted to accept an offer from an anonymous donor to pay the entire cost of at the stadium so they don’t shine onto neighbors’ properties.

It is hoped that the measure, along with upgrades to the stadium’s sound system already in the works, will avoid the need for an ordinance to limit use of the field to certain days and times. That ordinance for approval.

“I don’t feel the solution exists with time and date restrictions and artificial barriers. We won’t find a satisfactory solution in that process,” said David Kleinhans, a member of the York Community Advisory Council, formed last year to help find a solution that was fair to both students and neighbors.

Kleinhans said neighbors have told him that as long as the field is dim and quiet, they don’t care when it is being used.

“This (new lighting) is less cumbersome than the legislative path we’re on today,” he said.

The stadium use ordinance is working its way through city government, and that process will have to continue. But the School Board and members of the YCAC are hoping the new lights will serve as rationale to have the ordinance repealed.

The next step for the School District and YCAC representatives is to go to the city’s Development, Planning and Zoning Committee meeting next month and present the benefits of the lighting upgrade. Proponents of unlimited stadium use have “earned the right to ask for a broader ordinance,” Kleinhans said.

“Overall, people will feel more confident in a successful resolution to this process than anything that’s gone on in the city process to date,” he said. “Let’s use the light and sound changes as a foundation of trust.”

He said he has spoken with 10 members of the City Council, who have told him they view this development as  positive.

Donor Would Like to be Paid Back

The donor has committed in writing to a refundable $150,000 contribution, which will more than cover the cost of retrofitting the lights. The board on Tuesday awarded a contract for the work to Adlite Electrical Co., which in March submitted the lowest bid of $117,000.

Since the new lights will shine directly on the field, areas of the stadium that formerly benefitted from light spill will be dark, creating safety issues for fans as they see their way out of the stadium. Ancillary lighting will be installed by district staff at the entrance gates and near the concessions area at an additional cost of about $5,000, Building and Grounds Director Frank Schuh said.

Schuh said the whole project should come in “well under budget.”

“We have a large contingency in case we run into any problems,” he said.

The total cost of lighting will be around $122,000. Any money not used will be returned to the benefactor.

As a condition of the donation, the York Boosters and other groups have embarked on a fund-raising campaign to repay the donor, however there are no strings attached to the donation. Taxpayers will not be responsible for any expense related to the lighting upgrade.

“It is really the community that will be fund-raising for the project,” said District 205 Foundation Executive Director Lisa Fanelli.

The donor would like to be paid back, she said, “however the money is there, it’s committed. There are no liabilities for the School District at all.”

In addition to fund-raising efforts, lighting manufacturer Musco Lighting has contributed $4,000 to the project.

Not the End of Dialog

School Board members were quick to point out that while they are very grateful for the donation, it is just a beginning of a process for continued good will with neighbors.

“We were behaving badly,” board member Maria Hirsch said, referring to the district’s previous lack of communication with neighbors, unrestrained use of the lights and public address system.

The lighting is just one component of the solution to stadium use, she said.

“More important to me is that we as a district are responsive and respectful to neighbors and that we work collaboratively and listen carefully to concerns that are raised,” she said. “What I’m really looking for is … a written policy, guidelines of understanding.”

Part of the “requirements for success” presented to the board include a formal agreement with neighbors so that issues can be addressed as they arise.

The neighbors want to keep meeting, said School Board member Jim Collins, who met with about 25 neighbors and YCAC representatives on May 16.

“If we’re going to be good, successful neighbors, we need to keep talking,” he said.

The vehicle for that already is in place, Kleinhans said. The YCAC will continue to meet on a monthly basis so the district can be aware of any problems the neighbors are having with the school. While excessive lights and noise have been the cornerstone issues, neighbors also have complained about issues involving traffic, parking and littering during games.

School Board members thanked the donor, the YCAC and former board members for their hard work and dedication to students.

“This is a great example of private money coming together with our school district to do great things for our kids,” Collins said.

The lights will be installed this summer, in time for the beginning of the fall sports season.