Let there be Light … wait, not so Fast!

While Friday night high school football games are a tradition in a lot of towns across America, that wasn’t true in Western Springs as recently as 1994. All games had to be played in the daytime since the school’s Bennett Field was not equipped with lights.

Why?  Well, it probably wasn’t as much as question of money as the fact that there were homes located North and West of the field. See photos. But, with the advent of newer, more focused lighting systems, the school reasoned that the impact of the lights on nearby homes would be minimal. So, in early summer, it requested a conditional use permit from the Village. But, everyone didn’t support the proposal. 

One Howard Avenue resident, who felt his home value would be adversely affected by the new lights, organized a group called the Western Springs Property Owners Committee. He then began collecting signatures in an effort to place a non-binding advisory referendum on the November 1995 ballot.

Of course, the Bennett Field Improvement Committee (comprised mainly of students’ parents) had a decidedly different point of view. Having already raised $85,000 of the required $95,000 for lights, they weren’t anxious to see the project delayed beyond the fall football schedule. 

Since state law required that the village’s Plan Commission render a decision within 30 days of the high school request, the Commission met and conducted hearings. On July 27, the Plan Commission voted 4-1 in favor of allowing the installation of lights. But, it identified several conditions that should be required if such a plan were approved by the Village Board. These included a traffic control plan, the need for “no parking” signs on certain residential streets, clean-up of litter following the games, use of off-duty police officers, and a limit of 20 night-time events per year. 

 The school board also indicated that the most heavily attended events, such as the Homecoming game, would continue to be played during the daytime. It also volunteered to replace the stadium’s public address system with a more modern one, reducing the sound level by 50%.

On August 21, the Village Board considered the matter and, after hearing testimony from 22 residents and school officials, approved the lights with only one dissenting vote. However, it also required that the school comply with the conditions suggested by the Plan Commission.  See photos.

While there’s no evidence to suggest that surrounding property values were adversely affected in the area over the past 19 years, there’s no question that the night games have proven very successful with both students and parents alike. 

Each week, the Western Springs Historical Society presents a “Blast from the Past”. For more information, visit us at www.westernspringshistory.org.