Dist. 87 looks into lights for Glenbard West soccer field

Plans to install lights at Glenbard West High School's soccer field in Glen Ellyn has some neighbors concerned about noise, traffic and, yes, intrusive lights.

Glenbard District 87 officials want to meet with residents before month's end to update them on the proposal and hear any concerns, said Chris McClain, assistant superintendent for business services.

Meanwhile, neighbors plan to meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13, at village hall to gauge opinion and determine whether to organize opposition and bring a list of concerns to the school board.

McClain said the plan is in the early stages and work to install lights at Memorial Field could not begin before summer. The district also can't proceed unless it wins village approval for variances at the site, which is just across Crescent Boulevard from Glenbard West.

The exact types of variances are unclear, McClain said.

“At the end of the day, it's going to be the planning commission and the village that are the actual deciders on whether the variance gets approved,” he said.

McClain said there are questions about how the lights would be funded. Financing for the project would require the district to develop outside partnerships, he said.

Last summer, the district worked with Glen Ellyn Park District to partially offset costs for installing artificial turf at the field.

Some neighbors say the turf project was rushed through and their concerns were ignored. They don't want that to happen this time and plan to use Thursday's meeting to keep everybody in the loop.

In a flier announcing the meeting, organizer Kirk Burger said the three main concerns revolve around traffic, intrusive light and field noise that could last until 10 p.m. if the agreement with the park district results in later games.

Burger said he opposes the lights but wants to see how others feel before organizing any opposition.

“I don't care if the pros show up, let's talk about it openly,” said Burger, who lives about two blocks east of the site. “I am not a political movement and I don't intend to be. But if there are a lot of people who want to form a committee, then we'll do that.”