Call reversed: Stadium lights will stay up at Brookfield East
The sun shines through a football field light stand at Brookfield East. The poles are subject to a recall, but no structural damage was found in the poles at East. Photo By Peter Zuzga
Aug. 31, 2010 | 0 comments
Three weeks ago, the idea of a Friday night football game at Brookfield East High School was a long shot.
But thanks to pleas from East parents and fans, the Elmbrook School Board last week reversed course and decided to leave up the light poles at the school's football field, paving the way for Friday's home opener against Waukesha North.
Board members unanimously decided to keep the light poles - part of a national recall but which have been found to have no structural problems during two inspections last month - standing through at least the 2010-11 school year.
"I think we saved our school district a ton of money by doing this," said Cheri Sylla, a parent of three children at East who was among those lobbying to keep the lights up.
Up or down?
The board's decision ended a controversy that had been brewing for weeks about what to do with the fixtures.
The district earlier this summer learned the poles were part of a recall because welds in some poles had failed, which caused them to fall. Two separate inspections were conducted, but no structural problems were discovered at East.
However, the board in early August decided to remove the poles anyway, citing safety and liability concerns. That spurred East supporters into action, and eventually sparked the vote to keep the lights up.
"I want to recognize, thank, and frankly, salute, the manner in which the East community presented itself and its concerns," board President Tom Gehl said at the Aug. 26 meeting. "I think it shows us the best that can occur in public discourse on sensitive issues."
District still spent $25K
School officials say removing and replacing the lights would have run about $200,000, including demolition, installation and contingency costs.
However, the district already has incurred about $25,000 in expenses in connection with the project. About $6,500 of that was for testing the light poles, with the remainder coming from design work that architects did in preparation for the anticipated installation of new lights.
As part of its decision last week, the board said inspections should take place every month, as well as after severe wind and storms. No cost estimates for that are yet available. No long-term decision has been made about the future of the poles.
The School Board likely will take up that issue next month.
While it's unknown how long East's lights will stay up, Sylla for one said she feels safe sitting in the bleachers.
"There is no fear in my mind, and no one should have any fear at all. From my perspective, it's perfectly safe," she said.
Mark Schaaf contributed to this report.
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