rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/petition/save-carmel-from-stadium-lights?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-petition-area-save-carmel-from-stadium-lights' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Carmel Friends and Residents Against CHS Stadium Lights https://actionnetwork.org/groups/carmel-friends-and-residents-against-chs-stadium-lights https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/petitions/photos/000/368/452/normal/CarmelView-sunset.jpg Protect the beauty and tranquility of Carmel Let Carmel Unified School District know that football stadium lights will bring unacceptable light/noise/traffic pollution, and forever harm this unique and beautiful area for generations to come. Please sign this petition. The proposal to install massive 80-foot lights at the Carmel High School football stadium will fundamentally change Carmel and have far-reaching effects across our community and natural environment: * Impaired Viewsheds of Iconic Coastal Areas: Four 80-foot light towers mounted on a hill will be visible from many homes and businesses both near and distant from the CHS campus, ranging from Jacks Peak, to Carmel Valley, to Point Lobos. When in use, the lights’ intense glare will significantly obscure and degrade treasured coastal and valley views that are symbolic to this area, its residents and its visitors. * Traffic & parking jams: 2000 spectators driving in on Hwy 1 to a parking lot with only 200 parking spots, most will be spilling out into the surrounding residential streets. This will be hazardous for road safety, and access by emergency vehicles. * Noise up to 90 dB: Shouting, PA system, stomping, air horns, cars, etc., all generating 70-90 decibels, equivalent to a loud vacuum cleaner that can be heard for over ½ mile. * Light Dome across the Night Sky: The 5.4 millions lumens from these lights will magnify up to 10x from the marine layer that is common on the Carmel coastline and will create a massive light dome that obscures the night sky and be visible to homes far from the CHS campus. * Every Day and Night: With daily practice by multiple sports teams and public rentals provided by the Civic Center Act, this traffic/noise/light pollution can occur every weeknight a week, 365 days/year and as late as 10:00pm. * Environmental Impact: Energy use from over 46,000 fixture watts is bad for the environment, contributes to climate change, and may disrupt nearby animals and natural habitats. * Community Harm: With all the above negative impacts from traffic, noise and light to the beauty and tranquility of Carmel, many of the neighborhoods that can hear or see the stadium will see lower buying interest and property values for their homes. This proposal requires a thorough evaluation and public consultation process, including a well-researched Environmental Impact Report that includes input from the entire community. However, the Draft EIR is deeply flawed and vague, except in its certainty that there will be significant and unavoidable harmful impacts from these huge stadium lights that cannot be mitigated. Our group is diverse from across the greater Carmel area, including CHS parents and alumni, Carmel business owners and long-time residents. We are all here in Carmel because we have an appreciation for the unique and special place we live in, and we share a sense of responsibility to protect the incredible natural beauty for our community, future generations and the many who come visit. What is the big deal with adding some lights for the kids? Many of us are alums, parents and supporters of CHS, and we all want what is best for our kids. But lets ask ourselves this: who benefits from the football stadium lights and who is harmed? A major objective cited in the draft EIR for installing these 80-foot football field lights is to have Friday night football games. There are 6 football home games a year and these games have been successfully held on Sat for as long as CHS has had a football team. There are also games for lacrosse and soccer, but these see much lower attendance than football. So, with only a few games, limited spectators to benefit, and a long track record of Sat afternoon games, why do we need these stadium lights all of a sudden? Also, most of these games are expected to be attended by under 500 people, with just 1 or 2 games a year expecting up to 2000 attendees (e.g. homecoming game). However, CHS must ensure it can handle the worse case scenario, so the CUSD has allocated over $4mm for this project, which now also includes tearing out the tennis courts and replacing it with more parking. Despite this, the parking will still be insufficient, so there is funding to pay for shuttles from offsite parking, such as Carmel Middle School. All this of course means lots more traffic along Hwy 1, and even worse, all on a Friday evening. Some folks will say that lots of other schools have stadium lights too. Is Carmel really like lots of other cities though? Unlike other larger cities , including Monterey, where there is already significant light pollution, Carmel still has wonderfully dark skies at night and the communities in Carmel work very hard to protect them. For example, Carmel-by-the-Sea restricts lighting fixtures to 25 watts and no more than 10 feet above the ground specifically because "A key feature of the “forest” concept is to minimize the amount of outdoor lighting, such that the nighttime sky may be glimpsed through the trees." Similarly, Carmel Valley is actively working to get dark sky certification to protect their tranquil nights and star gazing. With the proposed large-scale stadium lighting, light pollution will be visible throughout the Carmel area, with the fog and marine layer reflecting the lights and creating a light dome that will be visible from Jacks Peak to Point Lobos and well into Carmel Valley (see pics here). While there are only a few games a year, practice is everyday so we can expect these lights will be turned on and visible for miles on every night of every week. There is a better way. The CHS student body is growing every year, and the current CHS campus is bursting at the seams but further expansion isn't possible with the homes surround the school. It may surprise some of you to hear that the Carmel Middle School campus was actually intended to become the site of the high school when it was purchased back in 1963. With an additional 8.23 acre parcel purchased in 2018, the current CMS location has space to grow for the future. The 2019 CUSD Facilities Master Plan already envisions 6 athletic fields with lights at this location. This would be the ideal home for CHS and would enable all of its athletic programs to practice at the same time on the same campus, something that will never be possible on the current CHS campus. Another argument put forth for football stadium lights is for late start. We applaud plans to switch to a later starting time, as studies have shown later start times benefit adolescent minds and improve academic results. Many schools, such as the highly ranked Junipero Serra HS, have already made this switch by adjusting their bell schedules so that the last period ends before 3pm, leaving plenty of time to have afternoon practices. Also, keep in mind that late start is starting later by just 30 mins, so the upcoming federal legislation to make daylight savings permanent will actually give students a full extra hour in the fall, which more than makes up for the 30-min later start. With $4.8mm allocated for this project, there should be considerable debate about this expenditure of precious public funds, especially given much better alternatives mentioned above. These funds could instead be directed towards numerous academic, arts and athletic programs to better enhance the educational experience of all students, or perhaps a new HS campus at the current CMS site that can deliver on everything we want for our kids. For more detailed information on the potential impacts of the proposed stadium lights, and how to get involved, please visit our website: SaveCarmel.org Note: If you would like to support our cause, financially or otherwise, please let us know through this Contact Us form on our website. Thank you! https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/save-carmel-from-stadium-lights