Light Installation Underway At PaliHi Baseball Field

A $493,000 project to install lights at the Palisades High baseball field is finally nearing completion, much to the satisfaction and relief of Dick Held, the school’s booster club president, who approached Principal Don Savarese with the proposal back in the fall of 1999. ”’I have to admit there were times throughout this process when I wasn’t sure it would ever get done,’ Held said. ‘But the school definitely assisted us and we had help along the way from other entities. A lot of people share the credit for making this happen. It was a team effort.’ ”The intention was for AYSO’s Region 69 (consisting of Palisades, Brentwood and Topanga), always in need of field space, to match available Proposition BB money that was about to expire. The project was originally budgeted at $173,000. In return for its donation, AYSO would be able to use the field for night practices in the fall. ”According to Held, AYSO has contributed approximately $200,000 to the project, with an additional $30,000 being paid by PaliHi and another $70,000 coming from Prop BB money. The remaining $200,000 came from joint-use funds. ”’We didn’t want the school to have to foot much of the bill because these lights are benefiting the community as much as Pali,’ Held said. ‘I even told Don [Savarese] at the beginning that this was an AYSO project, not a booster club project. And we succeeded because when you add it all up, Pali is only paying about six percent of the total cost.’ ”The Palisades Community Council voted in favor of the project in March 2001 but by that time a new roadblock had surfaced. The estimated expense rose considerably when costs for drawing plans, soil tests, CEQA (Environmental Food and Safety) approval and DSA (Division of State Architects) inspection fees were factored in. ”At that point, PaliHi parent Joe Ferrari suggested that AYSO seek joint-use money to fund the balance of the project. With the encouragement of L.A. Unified School Board President Marlene Canter, Held and AYSO board member George Wolfberg (a Palisades Community Council Chairman emeritus) presented their proposal to the L.A. Unified School Board last December. The Board agreed to grant the additional money (in the form of Measure K and R joint-funds) needed to complete the project. ”Work began three weeks ago, and now six light poles, supplied by Musco lighting in Irvine, are in place around the perimeter of the baseball diamond at George Robert Field. The TTC (Total Light Control Lights), implementing technology that allows no spillage, should be operational by early September. ”The lights will enable the PaliHi baseball program and American Legion to schedule night games. ”Under the joint-use agreement, AYSO will have access to the field until 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and until 6 p.m. on weekends in the fall (September- December). ”’Even though this was a long and arduous task, we got the job done,’ Held said. ‘And that’s what matters. This is something the community really needed.’