Regarding the proposal to erect four light poles, 70 feet high, each powered with 11 stadium-quality lights, at High School South to bring on more evening games, with people’s houses right next to field, here are some excerpts from the October 12 West Windsor Planning Board hearing.
Regarding the noise: “The loud speaker and cheering are not noise, it’s not unnatural.” “People like to hear those, it gets them excited.” “Why do we need noise analysis, you can’t do anything about it anyway.”
Regarding the traffic: With the potential of crowds of up to 4,000, “just park on streets. It’s been that way now.” “No traffic analysis needed, what do you expect for a game night?”
Regarding the light: “It’s close to invisible just 100 feet away from the field,” due to the state-of-the-art technology, and that you can adjust them to any angle, in case it’s needed.
And lots of promise: It will be to 8 or 9 p.m. when they are having games. Friday night until 10:30 p.m. only when having games. In the “first two years” the field will not be open for external use. And whoever installed the light will take care of all expenses, including electricity bills.
Enough said. I’m really surprised to see people come to the conclusion that a stadium next to people’s houses will have no impact on the neighborhood’s quality of life. People, are you blind? Are you deaf? Or are you simply not talking with a functioning brain? Or don’t you have a heart?
One neighbor after another voiced objections — at various public meetings — that the impact to the neighborhood would be so severe, that we do not want any more lights, noise, or traffic. But the School Board still went ahead and approved it. And the Planning Board went ahead and approved it.
It’s really frustrating to me. Is this America, that you sacrifice this group of people for the benefit of a bigger community?
The board talked about a lot of conditions, adjustments, etc. Come on. Let me give you some background. The neighborhood was established in the early 1960s. The school added to its side in the 1970s. I’m sure at that time, there were a lot of promises from the school and township that it would be a good neighbor, only bringing in benefits, and no trouble.
The light issue was brought up before, and then the school board rejected it, considering the heavy burden on the neighborhood. My hat’s off to them. The thing is, these promises were just lip service, or moral obligation. There was nothing binding the next generation of school board to keep them.
And moral standards change. The current School Board surely doesn’t operate on the same moral level as the previous board. With the current School Board’s policy of “two years no external usage,” I can see how these promises, whatever they come up with, can be changed three to five years down the road.
It’s sad to see a great neighborhood deteriorate. And even sadder for me to see all sorts of people with their agenda who can describe white as black. Shame on you.
Woody You
Canoe Brook Drive, West Windsor
Editor’s note: See story on Planning Board hearing, beginning on page 1.
