WILLIAMSTOWN — Williams College is again seeking permission to erect 80-foot-tall lights at Weston Field to illuminate an artificial turf field – a project the college wants in order to extend the outdoor playing season when mud prevails.
The plan, which was withdrawn late last fall for further study by a college committee, will come before the Zoning Board of Appeals when it meets April 15. This is the second location the college has proposed. It first wanted to put the lights and field at upper Cole Field, a location met with vigorous objections, not only from neighbors but by some students who said Frisbee-playing there would be curtailed.
Some residents, primarily of The Knolls, have objected to the Weston location, and some Meacham Street residents have raised concerns about additional traffic.
“I just hope the college is sensitive to neighbors on The Knolls and chooses beautiful lights for that purpose, and I hope the college is sensitive to its neighbors on Meacham Street to make sure it doesn’t become a parking lot for student and coach access to the field.†Said Tom Costly of 110 Meacham on Tuesday. “Everything that I have been told by Harry Sheehy [athletic director] and Irene Addison [associate vice president for facilities], gives me great confidence on both of those points.â€
Members of the college’s astronomy department also objected to plans for the lights last fall, saying they feared “light pollution†would impinge on students’ astronomical observations. The new application specifies that “lights out†would be at 9 p.m., with few exceptions. That timing that would cut back astronomical observations by about two hours, as they now begin about 7.
In its project summary prepared by engineers Vincent P. Guntlow & Associates and filed at the town inspection offices, the college seeks a special permit to allow lights 80 feet tall — far taller than the 15 feet specified in the zoning bylaw.
The lights’ illumination will be restricted to the site, however, rather than spilling onto adjacent properties, according to the summary.
The college plans to use the lights for no more than 16 weeks a year — during the month of November, five weeks in January through mid-February (as temperatures allow), and from mid-February through the end of March. Lights would be turned off at 9 p.m. except for no more than six special occasions, such as Winter Carnival, occurring on Fridays or Saturday, when they would be lit until 11 p.m.
Those restrictions mean the college would not use the lights in summer, when the new field would receive minimal use. The Taconic Golf Club driving range would preclude daytime use of the field. After the driving range closes in the evening, the community may use the field for games.
In seeking the special permit, the college maintained that the project meets the criteria of “inherent infeasibility†for public outdoor recreation and that “all reasonable efforts have been made to avoid glare or light overspill onto residential premises.
The turf field would be at Weston, just west of the football field and track and north of the Taconic Golf Club, an area now used as a baseball field, which is 630 feet from the nearest non-college dwelling. There would be six light poles, each with multiple fixtures.
Musco Sports Lighting Inc. has developed a customized light design to keep light on the field and away from neighboring properties and to reduce glare, according to the college. Most light would be at or near the playing surface, with some illumination above the field.
The synthetic turf field is intended to be the location for intramural and club activities as well as intercollegiate lacrosse, field hockey and soccer games. Field hockey and women’s lacrosse teams prefer to play on synthetic turf and would use the new field as their primary playing area.
The New England climate often renders fields unplayable, particularly in the spring, preventing many outdoor sports activities. That increases demand for indoor practice space, extending practices in Towne Field House well past midnight, according to the application.
Access would be from the Latham Street entrance to Weston Field. Other access points would be secured except during football games or other major events, as a means of minimizing traffic on more residential streets.
The field, measuring 240 feet by 360 feet, would, according to the application, have no impact on environmentally sensitive areas, natural assets or valuable trees. Although final grading would extend by 5 feet into the 100-foot inner riparian zone of Christmas Brook, the field itself is outside that zone.
Several college officials were unavailable for comment because of spring break.
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Air Quality Alert Issued for Berkshire County
Staff reports
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The state's on an air quality alert through midnight Thursday because of the smoke from wildfires in Canada.
Berkshire residents woke up to smoky, hazy skies and a red glowing sun on Wednesday morning, but with less oppressive heat.
The Department of Environmental Protection issued an air quality alert for elevated levels of fine particles (PM2.5). This refers to microscopic airborne particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter — about 30 times smaller than a human hair. These particles come in many sizes and shapes and can be made up of hundreds of different chemicals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the size of these particles can cause serious health problems because they can get deep into your lungs and even into bloodstreams. Particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest risk to health.
The air quality statewide is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups. These include people with heart or lung disease such as asthma, older adults, children, teenagers, and people who are active outdoors. People with either lung disease or heart disease are at greater risk from exposure to air pollution.
MassDEP advises people in sensitive groups to reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion, take more breaks, do less intense activities, follow asthma action plans, and keep quick relief medicine handy. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.
EPA's air quality index rates levels from "good" at 0-50 and "very unhealthy" from 201 to 300. Residents of Williamstown can track the AQI through PurpleAir, which displays results from monitors in five sections of town.
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