Site Evaluation Workgroup (WFWG) County Board Work Session - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Williamsburg Field Site Evaluation Workgroup (WFWG)

County Board Work Session January 24, 2017

1

CHARGE

• “to lead a robust community process to evaluate whether or not to

light the Williamsburg synthetic fields.”

• “Included in that evaluation, although not limited to these topics,

shall be whether the environmental, noise and light spillage impacts

• f, for the first time, lighting one or two fields at Williamsburg can be

mitigated sufficiently to preserve the character of the neighborhood and provide a reasonable quality of life to the nearest neighbors – both those whose property abuts the Williamsburg property and those who live across N. 36th street from the site.”

MUSCO'S PROPOSAL

• 2 Options: HID (High Intensity Discharge) and LED (Lighting Emitting

Diode)

• HID: primary source for sports lighting for several decades
• LED: recommended over HID for greater ability to keep the glare/spill
• ff the property line
• Recommended: 6 poles, 80ft, 30fc, 5700K
• Alternative (not reviewed by WFWG yet): 4500K

FACT CT FINDING

• Neighborhood Character
• Lighting Effects
• Public Health Impacts
• Noise
• Traffic
• Environmental Impacts
• Field Utilization
• Mitigation

FIE IELD UTIL ILIZATION MODEL

GRASS

FY13 WMS Data Field 1 Field 2 DPR Scheduled (hrs/yr) 504 461 Inclement Weather Loss Factor 20% TOTAL (hrs/yr) 403 369

*rounded to integer

UNLIT TURF

CY16 WMS Data Field 1 Field 2 DPR Scheduled (hrs/yr) 896 862 Utilization Factor 85% 85% TOTAL (hrs/yr) 761 733

*rounded to integer

LIT TURF

Modeled Projection Spring 13 wks TRUE Summer 9 wks TRUE Fall M-Th Fr Sa Su M-Th Fr Sa Su M-Th Num Days 4 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 4 Utilization Factor

73% 73% 58% 69% 66% 66% 48% 51% 70%

Curfew

10:00 PM 10:00 PM 10:00 PM 10:00 PM 10:00 PM 10:00 PM 10:00 PM 10:00 PM 10:00 PM

Mean Sunset

8:02 PM 8:02 PM 8:02 PM 8:02 PM 8:16 PM 8:16 PM 8:16 PM 8:16 PM 6:22 PM

Exit time (minutes)

15

Hrs Available (per day) 1.71 1.71 1.71 1.71 1.48 1.48 1.48 1.48 3.37 Hrs Used (per day) 1.25 1.25 0.99 1.18 0.98 0.98 0.71 0.75 2.36 Total (hrs/season) 65 16 13 15 35 9 6 7 123 Total Lights On (hrs/season) 119 30 30 30 74 19 19 19 205 Time on before sunset (minutes) 20

Model Scenario - Low

RESULTS

Field 1 Field 2 Total Avg Grass (FY13) 403 369 772 386 Unlit Turf (Calculated Adt'l) 359 364 723 361 Unlit Turf (CY16) 761 733 1494 747 Lit Turf (Calculated Adt'l) 175 175 350 175 Lit Turf (Cumulative Total) 937 908 1845 922 Gain - Grass : Unlit Turf 89% 99% 94% 94% Gain - Unlit Turf : Lit Turf 23% 24% 23% 23% Lights On 453 TOTAL Hrs/Yr

• Prime Time only
• 9PM Curfew (8:45PM cutoff)
• Lower Utilization Factor
• No Winter Use

Model Scenario - Medium

• Prime Time only
• 10PM Curfew (9:45PM cutoff) M-Th
• 9PM F-Su
• Modest Utilization Factor (Greenbrier)
• No Winter Use

RESULTS

Field 1 Field 2 Total Avg Grass (FY13) 403 369 772 386 Unlit Turf (Calculated Adt'l) 359 364 723 361 Unlit Turf (CY16) 761 733 1494 747 Lit Turf (Calculated Adt'l) 317 317 633 317 Lit Turf (Cumulative Total) 1078 1049 2127 1064 Gain - Grass : Unlit Turf 89% 99% 94% 94% Gain - Unlit Turf : Lit Turf 42% 43% 42% 42% Lights On 593 TOTAL Hrs/Yr

RESULTS

Field 1 Field 2 Total Avg Grass (FY13) 403 369 772 386 Unlit Turf (Calculated Adt'l) 359 364 723 361 Unlit Turf (CY16) 761 733 1494 747 Lit Turf (Calculated Adt'l) 618 618 1236 618 Lit Turf (Cumulative Total) 1379 1351 2730 1365 Gain - Grass : Unlit Turf 89% 99% 94% 94% Gain - Unlit Turf : Lit Turf 81% 84% 83% 83% Lights On 1284 TOTAL Hrs/Yr

Model Scenario - High

• Prime Time only
• 10PM Curfew (9:45PM cutoff)
• Higher Utilization Factor (Gunston)
• Incudes Winter

RESULTS

Field 1 Field 2 Total Avg Grass (FY13) 403 369 772 386 Unlit Turf (Calculated Adt'l) 359 364 723 361 Unlit Turf (CY16) 761 733 1494 747 Lit Turf (Calculated Adt'l) 921 921 1843 921 Lit Turf (Cumulative Total) 1683 1654 3337 1668 Gain - Grass : Unlit Turf 89% 99% 94% 94% Gain - Unlit Turf : Lit Turf 121% 126% 123% 123% Lights On 1518 TOTAL Hrs/Yr

Model Scenario - Max

• Prime Time only
• 10:30PM Curfew M-F
• 10:00PM Sa-Su
• NO cutoff – assumes exit lights avail
• Highest Utilization Factors (VA-H)
• Includes Winter
• Sunset rounded to earliest ½ hour

WFWG RECOMMENDATIONS

• No consensus!
• Open to Lighting
• Opposed to Lighting

Every Park is for Everybody

“As with all Arlington County projects, a goal is to str triv ive to bala lance th the needs and in interests of f th the im immedia iate communit ity with ith those of the broader Arlin lington Communit

• ity. All

ll part rtie ies must be adequately ly heard and

• served. Finding that right balance is the tough part.”

Most Syn ynthetic Fiel ields are in in Cen entral and So South Arl rlin ington

Most t Lig Lighted Field ields are in in Ce Central l and So South Arlin rlington

25% of ASA’s Recreational l so soccer pla layers s liv live with ithin in 1.5 1.5 mile iles of

• f

th the fie field lds at t Will illia iamsburg Mid iddle Sc School!

Players squeezed onto two fields at Long Bridge Park for ASA’s Monday Skills clinics.

Projected Annual Hours Gained with Lights at Williamsburg Fields

Sample curfew time Hours gained per field with lights Number of full size fields People per field (low capacity) People per field (high capacity) People per field (high capacity) Person/hours gained (high capacity) 9pm 293 2 30 100 17,580 9 pm 58,600 10pm 532 2 30 100 31,920 10 pm 106,400 11pm 779 2 30 100 46,740 11 pm 155,800

Hours gained figures come from a 10-4-16 email from DPR updating these calculations based on field usage since converting to turf.

Environmental Options Mechanical Options Scheduling Options Partnership Options

• Plant more and denser trees and

ground cover between the field and neighbors.

• Consider buffer options such as

panels, berms.

• Coordinate a package discount for

neighbors who want to put up fences

• Develop grant program for neighbors

to purchase internal mitigation such as blinds, shades and white noise devices.

• Phase lights settings so that

less bright lighting is closest to neighbors, reducing light spillage even more.

• Lower light intensity, color or

temperature based on data to reduce light impact

• Mandate carpooling/number of cars per game
• Limit evening hours to 10 p.m.(11 p.m. is

County standard for lighted fields)

• Adjust closure times for weekdays and

weekends

• Seasonal restrictions (e.g.; limited light during

winter and summer months)

• Limit special events after 6 p.m. (11 p.m. is

County standard for lighted fields)

• Limit for only youth play (assuming youth are

quieter)

• Limit for only adult play (adults bring fewer

spectators

• Limit field use to affiliated leagues
• Day restrictions (e.g.; no more than 2 - 3

nights to 10:30)

• Staggered start times (practices/games)
• Develop Friends of Williamsburg Field

Coordinate Ongoing Communication

• Committee meets regularly to discuss
• perational concerns and issues and

to interface with user groups and staff as needed

• Develop Hotline for residents to

provide feedback directly to user groups regarding issues and concerns.

• Facilities communication with

programmed groups vs. un- programmed uses

• More accountability
• Eliminates distrusted middleman

Mitigating the Impact of Lights

Mitigation Factors Used at Other County Locations

• Provide facility monitor onsite for supervision during games
• Limit number of special events per year (YCA)
• Coordinate APS and County special events onsite to reduce impact on community (YCA)
• Limit the number of evenings for the lights to extend to 10:30 p.m. or 11:00 p.m. (YCA)
• Adjust starting times to reflect a 9:00 a.m. start on weekends as opposed to at 8:30 a.m.

(YCA)

• Adjust hours according to seasonal use (YCA)
• Standing Committee to address community use issues (YCA)
• Onsite facility monitor when synthetic fields are in operation during the evenings and

weekend (YCA)

• Explore reducing the Kelvin temperature or Foot Candle of the lights
• No use of any type of public address system
• Adjust spectator seating for small sided games

YCA = Agreement with Yorktown Civic Association

County Public Health Concluded Minimal/No Adverse Health Effects

• “Natural eye defense mechanisms” will protect the retina from overexposure to blue

light from 5700K LED lights

• Health effects from glare are unlikely with proper lighting design
• Players and coaches may experience sleep delay, but it is expected to be short-lived

because exposure is not that frequent.

• Nighttime play creates more opportunity for healthful exercise for the youth and mostly

adults who will play at night.

Detrimental Effects Not Proven for Proposed Light Installation

• No studies have explicitly evaluated the health effects of outdoor sports field lighting
• Studies that suggest potential negative effects on melatonin or sleep levels focused on

longer term exposure in indoor lighting situations.

• AMA study concerns street lighting not field lighting. Recommends no more than 3000K

and/or additional protective shielding for streets.

• AMA study does not specify address the time length of exposure.

• More recreational field space and time
• Interest in facility development in north Arlington
• Net decrease in traffic across the County by enabling field

use closer to where users live

• Leverage County’s investment in turf via greater use
• Neighbors’ need for peace and quiet
• Respect for changes already imposed on neighborhood
• Concerns regarding potential health issues (immature

technology)

• Recognition of neighbors’ distrust of mitigation

enforcement

Factors to Balance….

Presentation to Arlington County Board

WFWG Members Opposed to Field Lights January 24, 2017

1

New Musco Proposal

• Last Friday night (January 20th) notified of new Musco proposal

advocating 4500K instead of 5700K LED Lights on 80’ Poles.

• Will address in remarks.

2

Lights at WMS Conflict with GLUP Goals

• County Land Use Plan Goals:
• Preserving & Enhancing Residential

Neighborhoods

• Protecting Environmentally Important

Natural Areas

• People in other residential

neighborhoods are watching.

• Apartment dwellers as well as

homeowners in all parts of Arlington care about preserving the environment & character of their neighborhoods too.

3

Character of the WMS Neighborhood

• Homes extremely close to fields (75’). S3 light

pole closer to nearest home than distance between pitcher & batter in baseball game.

• Zoning: among lowest density neighborhoods

in County: single family homes only, maximum height 35’

• No Development: no apartments, no

businesses of any kind

• Abundant wildlife.
• DES/WMS created to serve young children;

fields not designed for stadium lights

• DES mission: to serve as a nature learning

laboratory and teach children good environmental stewardship

4

WMS Neighborhood: Quiet and Dark at Night

5

Scenic Vista at WMS

6

• Doubling of school population to over 2,000 since 2012
• Construction of Discovery Elementary School
• 28 relocatable classrooms at Williamsburg Middle School
• Traffic from 2 morning drop-off & 2 afternoon pick-up times
• Installation of 2 synthetic turf fields
• Significant increase in use of & noise from synthetic fields.
• Only quiet time is now after sundown

Neighborhood Has Absorbed Significant Change To Help Meet Community Needs

7

Daytime Noise from Fields Would Be Unacceptable at Night

• When fields are fully used, noise

spikes to 60-75 decibels at neighboring homes. This happens up to a dozen times per minute. Readings above 60 dB are also common indoors.

• Current nighttime background noise

readings measure 27 decibels

• Decibel scale is logarithmic, thus 67 dB is

a 10,000-fold increase in audio power (versus 27 dB)

• County’s nighttime noise standard is

55 dB but fields are exempt, meaning no enforcement

8

Musco’s “Best Case” Proposal Part 1

• Sixty-two 5700K luminaires mounted
• n six 80’ poles.

9

• Photos shows Musco lights being

installed in Washington State. Array has just 18 luminaires; compared with 21 on pole in WMS Western woods.

Both Musco Proposals Out of Place in Neighborhood

• Each pole = height of 8 story building

10

Until Last Friday, Musco’s Position: Alternatives Would Be Worse than 5700K, 80’ Proposal

• Musco told WFWG lower color temperature will:
• “increase the number of luminaires which will increase reflected light spill.”
• Be less energy efficient. “Higher initial cost and operating costs are the results of

using warmer color temperature LED’s.”

• Posey & Associates – the outside engineer hired by DPR this past

September said the following about a shift from 5700K to 4000K:

• “additional LEDs, potentially additional fixtures would need to be added”
• “additional fixtures may require additional structuring, etc. to provide support”
• “it would also impact energy savings over traditional sources and have cost impacts

to the overall system and to the user over the lifetime of the system”

• “additional fixtures could also introduce additional light spill since more aiming

angles would need to be analyzed”

• “changing color temperatures will have a direct effect on the layout, sizing, and cost

both initially and over the life of the system to produce a certain number of lumens”

11

Nancy Clanton, a Top National Lighting Engineer, Says Musco “Best Case” Proposed Lights Will:

• Significantly exceed national &

international standards (much more

• n humid evenings)
• Produce light levels 20-30 times those
• f street lights
• Increase human health &

environmental risks

• Violate International Dark Sky

Association’s “Dark Sky” standards (which County has pledged to meet)

• Not achieve goal of preserving

neighborhood character & reasonable quality of life

12

Musco Has Not Been Forthcoming

• No photometric data, so no way

to verify calculations

• No aiming angles, incorrect

information re: critical glare angles

• New proposal directly

contradicts prior statements made to WFWG

• No construction or O&M plans

(Evaluation of construction impacts & costs part of WFWG Charge)

13

Looking up from S3 Pole location

Human Health Risks

• According to AMA, blue lights less intense [e.g., over

3000K] than those proposed for WMS are “associated with reduced sleep time, nighttime awakenings, impaired daytime functioning,” and disability & discomfort glare.

Council on Science & Public Health

• Dr. George Brainard & Dr. Mario Motta, co-authors of 2012 AMA report & major

contributors to 2016 AMA report on health risks associated with blue LED lights, agree with Clanton report that 5700K sports lights are not appropriate for neighborhood athletic fields. [Motta, “You want 3000K or below, otherwise you have very harsh glarey lighting, hard on the eyes”]

• All of Musco’s proposed light pole locations violate critical glare angle standards to

protect player safety.

14

Environmental Impacts

• Michael Galvin, President of American

Society of Consulting Arborists, visited the WMS site. His conclusions:

• Minimum 1-2 mature trees, 55 linear feet
• f canopy at risk
• Need detailed construction, O & M plans

to determine full evaluate impacts

• AMA: wildlife at risk
• Charge calls on group to examine costs of

construction impacts but no way to do that with cursory, 8 sentence letter from R.E. Lee Engineering.

15

Severe Increase in Traffic and Noise

• n North 36th Street
• Impossible to reconcile ASA’s projection of 58,000 -106,000 playing

hours gained with Transportation Division’s estimate of just 71 additional cars per night.

• High end of ASA range, 10 pm curfew average >800 one way trips
• Middle of ASA range, 10 pm curfew >520 one way trips
• Double that number of headlights shining into bedroom windows
• Noise equally disturbing to families especially on 36th Street: engines

starting, car horns, car alarms and lock indicators.

• Result: Light & noise invades neighbors’ homes & prevents young

children from getting to sleep.

16

Arlington Field Capacity

• Existing lighted fields used only 50% of the time after 9 PM
• Adult rectangular field use has declined since 2013 and is now below 2012

levels

• 3 lighted fields in North Arlington, with the prospect of a 4th at Wilson
• School. And Kenmore is just over the N-S dividing line
• Population: Northern third <20%, compared with >40% each for Central &

South Arlington. Distribution of existing fields consistent with demographics.

• Yorktown (.9 miles), W-L (3.0 miles), Quincy (3.2 miles) and Kenmore (3.7

miles) from WMS. Means those fields are as close or nearly as close as WMS fields for many ASA members who reside within 1.5 miles of WMS.

17

Non-Controversial Ways To Increase Rectangular Field Capacity

• Put new lighted fields where affected neighborhoods want them (e.g.,

a new lighted field at Long Bridge). Estimate 1800 - 2300 hours gained

• Add synthetic turf at existing lighted grass fields. Estimate >2000 -

>3300 hours gained

• Install synthetic turf at APS’s 10 most heavily utilized natural grass
• fields. Estimate 7,000 – 9,000 hours gained
• Total Potential Gain: 10,800-14,600 hours

18

Is Effective Mitigation Possible?

• Light Pollution: Glare at both 4500K & 5700K exceeds applicable standards
• Curfews: Young kids bedtimes generally 7:30 - 8 pm; 9 -10 pm curfews too late

for them to go to sleep.

• Noise: Exempt from County standards & enforcement.
• Environment: WMS wooded area, wildlife habitat, scenic vista would be
• damaged. New trees take decades to grow.
• MOA’s: No legal standing; community lacks voting power; DPR Director &

County Manager have final say when disputes occur.

• Physical Barriers: No one wants to live behind black out curtains, walls like

Route 66, being trapped indoors with windows shut tight.

• Fairfax County: mitigation rarely works when adding lights to an existing field.

19

Suggested Framework & Criteria for Future Decisions on Field Lights

• Lights should be part of original master plan for field
• Lighted grass fields should be upgraded to synthetic turf
• Physical setting important
• Zoning
• Amount of Development
• Topography
• Physical features (e.g., buildings & other physical structures that block light)
• Presence or absence of other lighting in area
• Proximity of homes
• Amount of disturbance and harm to environment

20

Public Process Re: WMS Field Lights

• 2004-2005 Public Spaces Master Plan
• 2012-2013 Discovery Elementary School Use Permit
• 2015-2017 WFWG

21

Conclusion

• Clanton: impacts cannot be effectively mitigated at this site.
• Environmental damage will occur
• Health & player safety will be at risk
• Neighbors’ quality of life & neighborhood character will be degraded
• Many alternatives to increase capacity that can be approved with little or no

controversy

• Neutral common-sense criteria show that DES/WMS fields are extremely poor

place to install field lights.

• Urge you to say “NO” to proposal for field lights at Williamsburg.

22

WFWG FINAL STEPS

• Finalize report
• Model illustrative scenarios
• Refine objective criteria for future siting decisions
• Fill information gaps defined by CB tonight
• Final Report to CB in Feb 2017
• APS Use Permit Amendment heard by CB in May 2017