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Z <br /> lighting both is a reasonable long term goal and with funds only available to <br /> light one replacement facility, Ascot was felt to have a much higher return <br /> for the expenditure of resources. The staff team determined that additional <br /> information was needed to determine costs for comparison with available funds. <br /> Engineering staff was instructed to design a lighting system for Ascot and <br /> Graham Ballfields to determine funding needs. <br /> The staff team met on August 3rd, to review the estimates for the two <br /> projects. Available funding was close to the estimates. The commitment to <br /> provide uninterrupted support to Recreations Programs was discussed at this <br /> meeting. It was determined that the project needed to be completed prior to <br /> December when the winter rains would make the fields inaccessible to avoid <br /> being under construction next year during the Recreation Programs active <br /> period. Believing there were no major issues, the staff team's recommendation <br /> was to advertise the project for bid, subject to receiving no objections from <br /> City Council. Attached is an article which was placed in the August 6, 1993 <br /> Council Newsletter which described the ballfield lighting replacement program <br /> and the plans to light Ascot in place of Kincaid. <br /> The letter send to abutting residents on September 24th was consistent with <br /> Public Works practices of providing information and explanation of projects <br /> commencing. This letter was not intended to be a solicitation for comment on <br /> the appropriateness of lighting Ascot Field. Staff felt the appropriateness <br /> of this action was clear in the adopted P &R Plan. In retrospect the high <br /> degree of concern of the neighbors indicates that earlier notice to them of <br /> the impending project would have been better. We could have performed this <br /> notice near the same time in early August when the Council Newsletter article <br /> was published. It is in this light that John Etter recently was quoted as <br /> saying that staff regretted this project was not made known to the neighbors <br /> earlier and not that staff was apologizing for anything being done covertly. <br />