Lights Out: Traffic Concerns Trump Little League Lights Proposal

Whitefish Bay officials decided to shut down Whitefish Bay Little League's request for stadium lighting until something is done about the traffic issues in the area.

After hearing more than a dozen residents express concerns about parking and traffic congestion on Lydell Avenue, trustees decided to deny the lights proposal on Monday night. Trustees also said they want police and village staff to come up with a plan that alleviates the parking congestion and game-day traffic in the area. 

"This screams out to me that we have to fix the parking situation on Lydell," Trustee Jay Miller said. "Why can't we solve this problem by dealing with parking and seeing if there's something we can do?" 

Although his lights proposal was denied, Whitefish Bay Little League President Josh Levy said he was happy to see the village commit to tackling the growing parking congestion in the area. Levy said he plans to work with the village on the traffic plan, which he said he would have done regardless of the board's vote.

"I think long-term there's still an opportunity (for stadium lighting) here, and getting the village to help with the parking situation is positive," Levy said.

Once the parking issues are sorted out, trustees said they would be willing to hear the lighting proposal again before the start of next year's little league season.

In his pitch to the board, Levy said rain cancellations force the league to either hold double-header games during the week or extend the length of the tightly scheduled season, which runs from April 24 through July 13. The Little League board does not want to extend the length of the season, so they hold weekday double-headers at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. – which is difficult for working parents.

With additional lighting in place, the league would have been able to start doubleheaders after the traditional 9-to-5 workday, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

None of the residents that spoke Monday night brought up a concern about light pollution – but instead focused on how later games will exacerbate the traffic congestion caused by high parking demand. 

"This is a very unsafe environment as it currently stands," said Tom Sullivan, who has lived at the northern end of Lydell for five years. "We feel by adding lights and all this additional activity at night time, it's only going to get that much worse."

Devon Street resident Linda Knutson said the little league's effect on the neighborhood has become more of a nuisance over the last two decades.

"It's not something I moved into. It was quiet initially," Knutson said. "Now, it's grown into what it is – which is great if we were a bigger community and were a bigger area. But we do not have the area. I am concerned about the domino effect because we've seen it happen after the last 20 years."

To address residents' concerns, little league officials held a two-hour community meeting last week, which led them to make several compromises to their original proposal:

• Hold night games only after Memorial Day, and shut off the lights 10 minutes after the last game or at 10 p.m. – whichever comes first. Levy said he only anticipated using the lights 15 through 25 nights during the season.
• Restricting parking on one side of Lydell Avenue during little league season.
• Create a resident-only parking zone on the north end of Lydell, on the west side of the street.
• Stadium lights would not be used outside of the little league season. Originally, the little league requested 20 uses outside of the scheduled season.

Additionally, the lighting proposal was made less intrusive by heightening the light poles and providing a steeper angle of light onto the field, said Greg Smith of Musco Lighting.

The little league fields could not be relocated, Levy said, because they are the only regulation size fields in the village. He said the practice fields at Cumberland School do not meet safety standards and the high school girls softball field is too busy and would require too much reconfiguration.

Responding to an online commenter who referred to little league games as a seasonal carnival, Levy said in his presentation to the board that little league games should also be considered a positive part of living in the community.

"We have the pumpkin festival, which is a seasonal carnival. Every morning at Cumberland School is a carnival for people living on Ardmore and Marlborough. Every day at Richards School is a carnival for people on Santa Monica," he said. "I am sorry for the families that live there, and I think it's unfortunate that it's a byproduct – but it's a byproduct of our community..."

"Our community is served by having little league, and our games are a gathering place for families."