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Portable lights OKd for Kaiser Elementary

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Despite neighborhood opposition, temporary lights will illuminate the field behind Kaiser Elementary in Costa Mesa beginning this month.

The city Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously during a special meeting Tuesday to place six portable light units on the field to allow youth sports teams access from October through March. The lights will be on from dusk until 7:30 p.m. weekdays, according to a city staff report.

In 2012, the commission agreed to allow AYSO Region 97 the use of portable lights on Harper Preschool’s field with the condition that the youth soccer league would bear the cost of the fuel and the lights.

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In May, the commission added Back Bay High School, Kaiser Elementary, the Lindbergh Field and Woodland Elementary to its list of approved locations for lights.

Residents near Harper Preschool on 18th Street were promised that they would not have to endure lights this fall, said Travis Karlen, the city’s recreation manager.

“The intention is to cycle the lights between the sites from year to year to minimize the impact to the neighborhoods,” the staff recommendation states.

Many Costa Mesa residents living near Kaiser Elementary expressed concerns about lights shining into their windows, noise, traffic, fumes from the diesel fuel used to power the lights and how the plan would affect their overall quality of life.

When resident Cheryl Burgess bought her home in 2008, she looked into how the city and school district planned to use the field.

“There was a specific limitation on the field that said there would not be lighting,” she said. “I relied on that information when I bought my house. I’m very surprised the city changed that without notice.”

Newport-Mesa Unified School District signed a joint-use agreement with City Hall in 2006 allowing the city to use Kaiser’s facilities and the field after school hours.

Supt. Fred Navarro sent a letter to the commission Tuesday afternoon asking that they hold off on making a decision and instead work with the district to craft a survey to gauge the community’s support for the placement of lights.

“I believe that a new phase in addressing the needs of our residents and youth sports has come upon us and we must design a process that recognizes the need to expand community input, as well as the school board’s legal authority and input,” the letter states.

He also requested that in the future, the city first approach the school board for approval before placing equipment on the district’s property.

Chairman Byron de Arakal said that the commission will “develop a more inclusive process in working with the district” for future projects.

Brett Eckles, a regional commissioner for AYSO 97, said that lights would benefit approximately 144 kids this season. Without the lights, there wouldn’t be anywhere in the city for them to practice, he said.

Although the commission agreed that the portable lights aren’t an ideal situation, it’s a temporary solution to address the lack of athletic fields, a problem the city has struggled with for more than a decade.

“We have to ask everyone to buck up a bit and help the kids for a period of time,” de Arakal said. “Until we get a permanent solution, I can’t say no to these kids.”

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