Claremont : Lighting for Youth Soccer

Accepting a task force recommendation, the City Council approved a temporary measure Tuesday to provide lighting for more nighttime practice for youth soccer at La Puerta Sports Park.

The council decided to turn the field’s lights on Friday nights in October and November. Currently, the two youth leagues’ 75 teams practice under the lights Monday through Thursday.

Park neighbors opposed the additional night hours because light from the 70-foot poles floods their back yards. They also demanded that the city re-create buffer landscaping that withered during the drought between the park and nearby houses. The council agreed to replant in the area.

The measure established a monitoring program to determine actual use of the park during the peak soccer season from September through November. After the season, the task force will restudy the lighting hours.