Football field raises residents’ ire
New facility faulted for its size
Ira Stern has lived across the street from Long Beach High School since 1979, along a quiet stretch of Blackheath Road with well-manicured lawns and homes that overlook Reynolds Channel.
So when many of Stern's neighbors voted in favor of a $92.7 million bond in 2009, part of a school preservation plan that was ultimately approved, they said they never thought it would include what they described as a new football, soccer and lacrosse "complex" at the high school, complete with synthetic turf, 1,260-seat bleachers, lights, scoreboard and press box.
Stern and his neighbors said that when they learned about the size and scope of the project several weeks ago, they were shocked, to say the least. They claim that it will create heavy traffic, noise and loitering problems on game days and negatively impact their quality of life. Stern and many others said that school officials never informed them about the project.
"We went out and knocked on doors and other neighbors said, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" Stern said outside his home. "We're not opposed to a practice field, but how can you put a stadium next to someone's house?"
Stern was one of about 40 residents who attended an Aug. 24 Board of Education meeting and called on school officials to consider significantly scaling back the complex. "This is a major facility that you're going to put in the middle of a residential area," neighbor Robert Solomon told the board. "We trust you guys to do the right thing, but we didn't know about it. I would ask ... that maybe you take a step back."
The football field is part of the preservation plan's fourth phase, which includes $28.7 million earmarked for various building upgrades and renovations at the high school. Construction of the field is expected to begin within two years, with school officials saying it could be completed in the fall of 2012.
