Carlmont parent Jeff Adams expressed his concern on the topic saying, “My son plays on the on the frosh-soph team, and our kids are embarrassed when other teams come to Carlmont to play, and they can’t finish their games because it gets dark.”
However, these games might be played to their full length sooner than many may think as lights are on the way.
Carlmont High School is on the verge of attaining a stadium overhaul that would change the makeup of the majority of the sports programs.
As of now, Carlmont is the only school in the Sequoia Union High School district without permanent field lights.
In lacking lights, Carlmont cannot hold evening sporting events, and practices are scrunched in after school.
Sophomore Jake Retchless explains how darkness has hindered the Scots in the past.
“It gets really hard to see the ball and the game just seems to die out, he said.
Rumors of lights have been floating around Carlmont for years but this gossip of the past is finally looking like they might come true.”
Administrative Vice Principal Ralph Crame is optimistic that lights will come to Carlmont.
“I’m anticipating lights next year; it’s a very, very strong possibility,” said Crame.
The school district has officially put together a game plan for Carlmont to receive lights, new turf, a sound system and additional parking added in the grass field adjacent to the tennis courts.
Four permanent field lights would be put in around the field, each standing 80-feet tall. The high-tech lights have beams that emit directly on the field which reduces unwanted spillage.
The new visitor stands would seat 456 people and the added visitor capacity would be accommodated with the increased parking spaces. Also, a new upgraded amplification system would be more efficient and quieter then the current one.
The District has set a $900,000 budget on the proposed project. The new turf is not included in the budget as it a required maintenance upgrade. The funds for the project are supplied mainly by the measure J bonds.
The official plans for the operation were released to the public at a Feb. 2 town hall meeting open to the students and community.
School administrators, staff, project managers, parents, Carlmont student body and an array of concerned neighbors attended the meeting.
Superintendent James Lianides listed the pros of the project explaining that, “Carlmont would be able to improve its school in many different ways, student athletes would improve their way of life, and the school would improve its [school] spirit.”
The regulations for using the lights included the following: the lights could not be used during the weekdays past 8:30 at night, 10:30 for football games on Fridays, and could not be used for either Saturday or Sunday.
Carlmont would also be limited to the number of night football games and field usage would only be readily available school related teams and events.
Passionate neighbors argued that for years increased traffic has affected their way of life around the campus, and that lights would come along with more false promises by the school and local law enforcement that changes were on the way. Neighbors were also concerned that the field schedule would not live up to its billing and that rules would be abused over time.
Lianides promised that Carlmont would be held accountable to live by the rules set in stone by the district.
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