Light it up! Board rethinks vote on stadium poles
Final decision on fixtures likely today
Aug. 25, 2010 | 0 comments
It looks like the lights may not be coming down after all.
After weeks of debate, Elmbrook School Board members pulled a surprise move Tuesday night and said they would reconsider a decision made earlier this month to remove the light poles at Brookfield East's football field.
The board is scheduled to meet this morning to vote on whether to reverse its decision on removing the fixtures, which are part of a nationwide safety recall. Visit BrookfieldNOW.com to for the latest on that meeting.
The lights were originally scheduled to be taken down Tuesday, and the board was to vote then on whether to pay half the costs of temporary lights - estimated at $26,000 - so East could still play Friday night games at home instead in the afternoon or on the road.
But after more than an hour of discussion and community comment, some board members said they wanted to reconsider their Aug. 11 decision to remove the lights. However, since the agenda did not include language allowing a vote on the issue, a special meeting was scheduled.
Cheri Sylla, a former board member and parent of three sons at East, said the board's reconsideration was "more than what (East supporters) expected," but the delay in a decision could complicate preparations for East's first home game next week.
"I will be very upset if we have to move that Sept. 3 game (to another site)," she said. "It would be extremely challenging."
Parents weigh in
More than a dozen East supporters spoke at Tuesday's meeting, some encouraging the district to pay for the temporary lights, while others asked board members to reconsider their earlier decision.
"There's nothing like Friday night football at Brookfield East High School," said resident Bill Treacy. "It's a unique environment."
Greg Lippe, an Elm Grove resident with six children who graduated from East, told the board: "This is not about football wins and losses. It's about respecting East athletes and their fans."
Parent: Lights are sound
Phil LeClaire, president of the Junior Spartans football program, cited the two clean reports from engineering firms that were brought in to test the poles earlier this month.
The district paid a combined $7,000 for the tests, which suggested some minor cosmetic work but showed no structural damage.
LeClaire, who has worked as a structural engineer for more than 30 years, said there was no reason to remove the existing poles because "they are as structurally sound as any poles that would replace them."
School Board member Bob Ziegler, one of the six members who initially voted to take the poles down, said he would be comfortable with leaving the lights in place and conducting periodic inspections throughout the school year. He said the current lights pose "no greater risk of a problem (than) with any other pole we would have."
New poles next summer?
A proposal in front of the board Tuesday suggested that the poles be replaced next summer as part of the district's capital improvement plan.
The district earlier this summer found out that the lights, which were made by a now-defunct company and installed 10 years ago, were part of a national recall.
Weldings in about a dozen poles had failed, causing the poles to fall. Some significant damages had been reported, but there have been no known injuries.
The district has invested about $40,000 into the replacement of the poles so far, including about $7,000 for testing. The total project cost - removal and replacement - is expected to be about $200,000, school officials say.
ROLL CALL
How School Board voted on reconsideration of removing the football field light poles at East:
In favor: Glen Allgaier, Tom Gehl, Jean Lambert, Meg Wartman, Bob Ziegler
Opposed: Gary Jones, Kathryn Wilson
→ Editorial on Page 17
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