Q: How does this type of lighting system reduce light pollution?
A: The Musco company’s LED light system is a new type of stadium lighting that offers high quality light with minimal glare and state-of-the-art light control. The lights are highly energy-efficient.
This video demonstrates the use at a sports complex in Georgia.
Q: How many light towers will be installed?
A: Four.
Q: How will non-MC families and youth benefit from this proposal?
A: Having a lighted field will increase the availability of this limited resource for all athletes in the county. It will also create excitement for the athletes and families of opposing schools as they participate in these evening community events at Marin Catholic. It is expected that families with younger children as well as other community members would also enjoy attending the sporting events.
Q: How often will the lights be used?
A: Our proposal is in two parts:
- Weekend nights: Ten night games per year; max attendance to be set around 1,500; lights off by 10:00pm.
- Weekday nights: Practices for sports team that utilize the field; games for soccer and lacrosse (crowds typically less than 200); lights off by 9:00pm.
Q: How much traffic does the school anticipate this will generate on Friday nights?
A: As part of the application process, a traffic study is being conducted and the results will be made public. The study is being administered by the same professionals that analyzed the traffic impact of the Marin General Hospital retrofit.
Q: How will MC accommodate all of the parking for these large events?
A: In addition to Marin Catholic’s on-site parking along with St. Sebastian, we have partnerships with our institutional and commercial neighbors to use neighboring parking lots to accommodate overflow parking. As part of the application process, we will identify the parking plan for the weekend night sporting events. When finished, MC will make this plan publicly available. MC currently hosts Friday night basketball games that have drawn up to 1000 spectators, without a parking or public safety issue.
Q: Will MC take any steps during games to help with traffic control and public safety?
A: MC will hire a security company to help with traffic flow and public safety. Marin Catholic has hosted up to 1000 spectators for Friday night basketball games for years without serious traffic or public safety incidents.
Q: Will this increase noise upon the neighborhood?
A: While sporting events draw crowds with cheering fans, the noise would be limited to a designated number of weekend nights per year, versus Saturday afternoons. Marin Catholic has taken several steps to reduce the noise level of its athletic events. For instance, the newly installed PA system has reduced the noise level during the games. A recent study by the County of Marin verified the improvement of the sound system, which is only used during MC events – the only exception being Special Olympics events. Marin Catholic does not anticipate significant crowd noise during weekday practices or games given the low attendance at such events.
Q. When will the PA system be used during times when the lights will be on?
The PA system will only be used for the ten weekend night events per year and the varsity soccer and lacrosse games, consistent with current practice. The PA system will not be used during weekday JV games or any practices.