Tonight: Memorial Lights Issue Goes Before Plan Commission

Tonight is just the first step to reach a final decision on the installation of lights at Memorial Field. 

Before the village board can vote on the decision, the board will wait to review the recommendation from the plan commission. And tonight the plan commission will review the request for the project; the first step in formulating that recommendation for village trustees. 

The group opposed to the lights, Our Field Our Town, and Glenbard High School District 87 will present their sides of the argument tonight, hoping to sway commissioners' votes on the issue.

Both groups have hired experts, lighting engineers and zoning professionals, to present evidence on why lights should or should not be installed at the field just off Crescent Boulevard. 

The district's request for variances to install the lights comes after the completion of phase one construction at Memorial Field: finished in the summer of 2010, the installation of a synthetic turf allows for increased usage. Among the many enhancements, part of that $1.4 million project included installing an underground conduit for future lights. District 87 officials cite the need for a field that can operate longer due to the limited field space at the Glenbard West campus. The $300,000 project to install lights will be funded by donations, not taxpayers.

Tonight, plan commissioners will also accept comments from the public when reviewing the district's request for zoning variances to install the lights at Memorial Field. 

There's no deadline for when the plan commission must formulate a recommendation for village trustees but tonight is one step closer in reaching that final decision.