JUne 17, 2020

Edgewood appeals Plan Commission’s decision over field lights

Abigail Becker | Cap Times

Madison’s Edgewood High School has filed an appeal of a city commission’s decision in May denying the private west side high school permission to install lights at its field. 

The high school, located at 2210 Monroe St., has been seeking changes at its athletic complex since 2017.

On May 11, Madison’s Plan Commission unanimously rejected a conditional use permit application from Edgewood to install four light poles with LED light fixtures at the field. At the time, school president Michael Elliott said Edgewood needs the lights to be competitive with other schools and “survive as an institution.”  

Elliott did not respond immediately Tuesday for comment on the petition. 

Following the decision in May, Elliott said the Plan Commissions’ action is “a long way from fair and equal treatment.” 

The Plan Commission’s specific action put Edgewood’s application for the permit on file without prejudice, which means that the high school could file a new conditional use application and address concerns raised by the Plan Commission.

If the commission had denied the application outright, Edgewood would have had to wait at least 12 months to file a new application. 

Madison’s City Council is scheduled to hear the school’s appeal at its July 14 meeting after being introduced at the council’s Tuesday meeting. Reversing the Plan Commission’s decision would require 14 votes, or a two-thirds majority, of the City Council. 

Though Plan Commission staff found the school meets standards to install lights, commission members concluded that the lights would negatively affect the properties surrounding the school.  

Ald. Tag Evers, District 13, said in an email that five years ago Edgewood said the field would be used for practices but is now pushing to hold 40 to 60 night games per year. He said a compromise would require Edgewood to “return to its biblical values of truth, compassion, justice, partnership and community.” 

“I’ve asked Edgewood to go slow with their application and work to rebuild trust with the neighborhood,” Evers said. “Instead, they’ve pushed full speed ahead and have done so with a sense of entitlement, blaming their neighbors for choosing to live near a high school.”

Many neighbors surrounding the 56-acre campus are opposed to the lights, expressing fears over increased disturbance to the neighborhood.

The lighting was proposed for evening use of the athletic complex, either for practices or games, by the high school. The conditional use permit application was for lighting only.

Edgewood proposed shutting the lights off automatically at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 11 p.m on Friday and Saturday. The school said that the lights may be kept on beyond those times to “accommodate specially scheduled activities including, but not limited to, playoff games, games requiring overtime periods, weather delays, and health and safety delays.