FALLBROOK — New lights at Ingold Sports Park are a win-win for the community, providing clearer field lighting for athletes while reducing light pollution in the night sky.
The new, lower-power, dark sky-compliant LED lighting system is a significant improvement over the previous lights, according to park organizers.
Josh Guerrettaz, the park’s director, said the park switched from halogen to LED lights about eight years ago, but the lights weren’t the correct kind. Proper sports lighting focuses on the fields and doesn’t spread out.
The old lights polluted the night sky with extra light but left dark spots on the field, making it harder for players to see.
The Fallbrook Sports Association, the nonprofit operator of the sports park, applied for and received a $215,000 grant earlier this year from the Fallbrook Public Utility District’s Community Benefit Program to help pay for the new lights. The association was one of nine community organizations that received grants during this funding cycle.
The sports association also received $51,400 from the utility district for routine park maintenance.
“The program is intended to support projects that benefit the community, and youth sports and recreational facilities are an important part of that,” said Noelle Denke, FPUD’s public information officer. “In this case, the funding helped support improvements that provide safer, better facilities for the many children, families and adults who use the park.”
Musco Sports Lighting, the lighting supplier, and the electricians who installed the lights also gave the sports park significant discounts. The park contributed about $100,000 of its own funds toward the new lights.
“It was a true community effort,” Guerrettaz said.
Guerrettaz said the sports park hopes to continue making improvements to complete its buildout, including adding more lights, a scoreboard and additional parking.
“There are a lot of unfinished projects that we’re trying to finish off,” he said.
The park offers three multipurpose fields for soccer, softball and baseball games, plus an arena for arena soccer.
The Fallbrook Sports Association recently requested $300,860 from the county’s Park Land Dedication Ordinance funds to install three new Musco light poles on Field 1.
The sports association received tentative approval from the County Service Area 81 Fallbrook Local Parks Advisory Committee. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is expected to consider the request for final approval later.
