Tempers flared at the Oct. 7 Recreation & Parks Commission meeting when several Village School neighbors complained about temporary lights placed on a playing field for evening practices and games.
Marblehead Youth Soccer requested the lights so players could finish their practices and games even as the sun set earlier. The lights will be up at the Village middle field for the month of October, as needed, from about 6-7:30 p.m.
Because the lights are temporary, the request did not require any permits or notification of neighbors. Rec & Parks Commissioner Shelly Bedrossian (who lives in the area) said she hand-delivered notices to homes within 100 feet of the center of the field, as a courtesy. The letter asked neighbors to raise concerns within 14 days. None did.
However, several residents claimed Bedrossian never delivered a letter, even suggesting that they had reviewed their surveillance videos to make sure.
“So, we didn’t know about it,” said Jersey Street resident Lisa Seymour about the lights. “We had no chance to ask questions.”
She added, “It’s incredibly bright. I am blinded in my kitchen and my family room.”
Seymour and others also complained that the letter (which they say they saw only after contacting the Rec & Parks Department) contained errors, including incorrect dates.
Bedrossian emphasized that she did, in fact, deliver the letters and offered to “take a lie detector test” or “sign an affidavit.”
Resident Brian Gray accused the commission of “coming up with a sham process” to push through lights at the middle field at Village.
“This issue is not new to the town of Marblehead,” Gray said. “And I recognize that not all of you grew up in Marblehead. You’re not Marbleheaders. The lights issue has been around since the 1980s.”
Commission members stated that they followed town policy. They acknowledged that some people claimed not to receive the letters and that a few details may have been incorrect.
Commissioner Chris Kennedy urged the neighbors to move forward and work with the Rec & Parks to find a solution.
“Let’s get to a point where we can get this figured out instead of you constantly having this accusatory verbiage and rhetoric,” Kennedy said. He later left the room.
Near the end of the meeting, Seymour read a letter she said was from another neighbor.
“I understand that we are all busy and mistakes are made, but the lack of courage to take ownership for this error and the subsequent coverup is, frankly, embarrassing,” she read.
At that point, Bedrossian left the room.
The commission agreed to look at ways to mitigate the impact of the lights, whether by lowering the stands or adding hoods.
Chair Rossana Ferrante emphasized that while the commission followed proper procedures, it would review the process in case there’s another request for lights at Village’s middle field.
“We have been put on notice that the community is very, very, very sensitive to it and would like to know,” she said. “We will take a different process next time, whether it’s required or not.”
***This story was updated Oct. 10 to reflect that Shelly Bedrossian said she delivered notices to neighbors within 100 feet of the Village playing field.
