Residents Balk at Proposal for Lights at Crittenden Park

A not-so-uncommon suburban battle has erupted in Ashburn Farm after the Dulles Little League offered to install lights on the baseball fields at the county-owned Greg Crittenden Memorial Park.

On Feb. 16, the Little League held a meeting at the Windmill Community Center directly across the street from the park, and got an earful from residents who oppose the lights.

The lights would allow children to play later into the evening when otherwise night arrives too quickly. During the fall and spring, little league games are often called around 6:15 p.m., allowing little more than two innings to be played before the games are over.

During a Feb. 16 community meeting, Ashburn Farm residents expressed concerns about noise, parking and the visual impact of the lights. Baseball games at Crittenden already give residents parking and traffic woes. Additional concerns include blocked streets and sidewalks. Furthermore, residents fear that increased traffic means safety issues for children playing on sidewalks or crossing streets.

“Anything past 8 o’clock, based on the noise level in the summer, would be intolerable,” said on resident who has young children. “Whenever the field is in use, there is a noise concern.”

Chris Becker, the parent of baseball player, explained that the lights are intended to combat shorter days in the fall and would simply allow games to continue until as late as they do in early spring.

“At 6:15 at night, the games are called,” he said. That means many AA players are lucky to finish two innings before the game is over. Games are scheduled to start at 5:30, but sometimes start late. “It’s not possible in the fall for the last two weeks of the season.”

In addition to Dulles Little League, representatives from Loudoun’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, and Musco Lighting fielded questions at the meeting.

The league continues to grow and is having difficulties finding enough fields to schedule games. By introducing lights, the Crittenden Memorial Park could extend play during the spring and fall little league seasons. The proposed lights would extend play until 8 p.m. Monday thru Thursday and until 10 p.m. on Fridays.

Approximately 18 1500-watt lights would be installed for two fields on 35-foot poles. Musco Light plans to use technology intended to make the lights less invasive on local residents. The lights will use a shaded light system that directs the lights onto the fields and not out into the neighboring community.

Jim Klock, president of Dulles Little League, told those gathered that the lights would not extend regular games, but simply allow them to wrap up at times of the year when the sun sets earlier.

“We're offering something great for these kids,” Klock said, adding that the players are just trying to get time on a field that the are losing now. "We’re looking at very limited uses. It just allows the games to be played to completion.”

However, more than one person in the room pointed out that the request calls for games to be played up until 10 p.m. on Fridays.

When residents raised the issue of people parking along Windmill Drive, Klock said residents were also parking along the road, not just people going to the park.

Several residents questioned why Crittenden Park had to be the location for lighted fields. “With new communities, parks and fields being built throughout Loudoun County, why doesn’t Dulles Little League focus on growing somewhere that is less intrusive.”

Many residents were apprehensive that in the future, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors could extend the late nights to weeknights or to even later on the weekends, since the county owns the property and controls its use. 

“The county will be the ones to set the schedule and we are concerned that it will end up being every night until 10 p.m.,” one resident opined.

Several residents in attendance support the installation of lights.

“Having the lights would allow for the Dulles Little League to host a state tournament,” said one supporter. “which has never happened. The children always have to travel to tournaments and this could give the kids the opportunity of a lifetime to host their own local state tournament.”

These supporters recognized the distraction these lights would impose but urged that a balance must be reached between supporting children’s sports and the community. One resident explained, “Wrigley Field didn’t have lights, now it does. Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Allowing the installation of the lights would allow us to make better use of these fields. This is a great opportunity to have a park that we are proud of.”