Ascot Park, Ballfield, Electrical

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BACKGROUND: After a light fixture unexpectedly broke loose and fell from a pole at Kincaid Ballfield this past winter, Public Works asked a consultant experienced with wood poles to evaluate the extent of wood rot at the City's lighted ballfield complexes. Along with the poles showing decay, several of the poles have become twisted and have loose cross arms and light fixtures. Due to problems of crossarm failure, pole twisting, and lamp performance depreciation, the lighting level at the ballfields is below recommended recreational softball standards. These conditions have raised two issues: 1) liability and 2) adequacy of the lighting for the intended use. The priority for replacement is Kincaid, Graham, Shasta, and Amazon based on the data from the condition analysis report. In FY94, the plan was to replace the lighting system at Graham Ballfield and to remove the lighting system at Kincaid Ballfield and install a new system at Ascot Ballfield. Changing the lighting system to the larger Ascot Ballfield was seen to have several advantages. Ascot has restrooms (not available at Kincaid) and greater amounts of off - street parking and has a greater amount of land available to provide a buffer for the neighboring homes to mitigate any adverse affects that the lighting may cause. The P &R Plan designates Ascot Park as a Community Park. In the hierarchy of the park system this means that it is a park of community -wide significance, for use by people throughout the city. This is in comparison to a small neighborhood park expected to be used primarily by those living in its immediate vicinity. On page 55 the P &R Plan describes lighting of sports fields as one of the appropriate amenities for our Community Parks under the section "Facilities and Features ": "Sports fields - (e.g., softball, baseball, soccer) with lighting, spectator areas, off - street parking and other support facilities." Both the Recreation Division and Kidsports staff support this recommendation.