Carroll lighting issues go to Southlake City Council

Parents of baseball and softball players want the lights installed so the teams can play night home games, among other reasons.

Opponents said they expect their property values to decrease significantly because of the lights and noise.

Opponent Jennifer Blanchard said Tuesday that neighbors plan a "strong presence" at the Planning and Zoning Commission Jan. 3.

The school board approved several measures to mitigate the effects of the lights. Among them: The district cannot rent the fields to outside teams at night; sound limits will be set for the public address system; and outfield lights will be turned off during post-game cleanup.

Julie Thannum, Carroll district spokeswoman, said the question of lighting originally arose after a citizens committee saw that money was left from a prior year bond issue.

"We saw things that were not, in the original package, identified as needs," she said.

The issue comes to the city because the district needs a lighting variance. The Planning and Zoning Commission will hear the variance application at its meeting at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 3, at Town Hall, 1400 Main St.

If the commission makes a recommendation at that meeting, the City Council will consider the application at its Jan. 15 meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m., also at Town Hall.

More information: www.mysouthlakenews.com