P&Z Brightens Picture

For FFH Ball Field

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members have approved zoning regulation changes that will allow the town to erect eight tall lighting towers at its new full-size baseball field at Fairfield Hills.

P&Z members approved the rule changes at their July 17 meeting.

On July 3, the P&Z had approved an application from the Parks and Recreation Commission to install four 80-foot-tall and four 70-foot-tall lighting towers to illuminate the baseball field.

At that time, however, the zoning regulations did not allow towers that tall to be used for sports lighting, so the P&Z needed to modify its regulations to permit those towers to be erected.

In revised the zoning rules, the P&Z did not set a maximum height for sports lighting towers, leaving the height of such facilities to the discretion of the agency. The previous lighting height limit was 24 feet.

In the rule changes, P&Z members decided that lighting for sports fields must be mounted and aimed so that the lighting falls within the playing area and its immediate surroundings, and does not stray off the site.

P&Z members are requiring that the field lighting be shut off by 10 pm.

The baseball field is not yet in use. The irrigated bluegrass field has 90-foot base paths. Baseball is scheduled to start at the field in September.

The homes nearest to the new baseball field are along Mile Hill Road South and along Nunnawauk Road.

The P&Z approved construction of the new baseball field in May 2007. The baseball field was constructed on the land that formerly held Fairfield House at Fairfield Hills.

The town has two smaller, unlit baseball fields on Mile Hill Road South, near Cochran House at Fairfield Hills.

The new baseball field is one component of the town’s ongoing redevelopment of Fairfield Hills, a former state psychiatric hospital that the town bought from the state for $3.9 million in August 2004. The 187-acre site includes many large masonry buildings that formerly were used for patient care and services. Town redevelopment plans call for the demolition of some buildings.