Oakmont residents share support, opposition for adding field lights at Riverside Park

Members of the Oakmont Recreation Board heard differing opinions from residents on a topic that has been discussed for decades.

While most comments were in support of adding lights to the sports fields at Riverside Park, where Riverview High School plays its home games, some folks were hesitant to support the idea.

Riverview is the last public school district in the WPIAL without a lighted football field. Depending on the results of a $750,000 state Commonwealth Financing Authority Local Share Award grant application, that might not be the case for long.

According to Tony Lascola, chair of the parks and recreation committee, the project’s estimated cost lands around $990,000.

Broken down into a more detailed expense list:

• Installation of 10 70-foot-tall light poles would cost $600,000 for installation, foundation, mounts, lighting and electronic controls.

• Conduit and wiring would cost $112,000.

• Contingency and engineering would account for $165,000.

• Subsurface investigation for concrete foundations would cost $65,000.

• Electrical service upgrade and final connections would account for $28,000.

• Restoration of disturbed areas would cost $20,000.

Between grants and donations, the borough already has secured a little more than $400,000 to put toward the project.

“The lights have been discussed in the past numerous times, but we’re at a point now where there’s a possibility that the funding can be produced by grants (and) not cost the taxpayer anything,” said Wendy Wilton, president of the Riverview School Board.

She said the district’s tradition of renting lights for three days during homecoming week costs between $5,500 and $6,000.

Lascola used North Hills High School’s football field as an example of what the lights are intended to look like. They will be angled down toward the field to prevent shining into homes surrounding the field.

“The lights will be focused directly on the field,” Lascola said.

Lighting will consist of 10 poles around the perimeter of the football and baseball fields. Different light configurations would be used for each specific event.

“I don’t think we would ever have all 10 poles on unless there was some kind of larger event,” Lascola said.

The school district would be the lights’ primary user. The school hosts five to six football games, 14 varsity baseball games, seven varsity boys soccer games and nine varsity girls soccer games per year.

Events usually end by 10 p.m., Lascola said.

The Riverview Athletic Association also uses the field for baseball, softball and flag football games.

Some residents pointed out the increase in activity could help with economic growth within the town since people will be out at night near the borough’s business district.

Erin Schuetz, a member of the school board and a resident whose home faces the field, said the dek hockey rink’s lights sometimes shine into her home’s bathroom at night. Despite that, she is in full support of lighting the fields.

“You can bring lights to our community and say ‘hey, there’s something to do, somewhere to be,’ ” Schuetz said. “There’s something else besides sitting in your living room.”

Some residents expressed concerns about the costs and the increase of traffic and activity the lights would attract.

Sue Martin, former school board member, said she had been involved in discussions about field lights when she was on the school board in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s.

She said having no lights and no extra costs was a better option than taking on the costs of maintenance of the lights.

Martin claimed there isn’t enough money to maintain the lights, and not enough manpower to take care of them long term.

She looked back on the borough’s centennial anniversary and said a natural gas company had donated gas-powered street lights to line the boulevard. Martin said that despite those lights being free, they had to be replaced with electric lights after a while because maintenance fees became too expensive.

“What possible need would this extra expense meet?” she said. “It should be a mark of unusual distinction that our school district would be willing to stand as the only school district without lights on it.”

The recreation board will be discussing the matter during its Oct. 15 meeting. The recreation board does not have the power to grant approval on the matter but will make a recommendation to Oakmont Council.