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3 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, May 14, 2009 Playing field lights still bone of contention Continued from page 1 why that is taking so long, there is not a lot of construction work going on in the town right now, so there should be enough forces to process our permits." Despite the delays, Corbacio said he's optimistic the new $32-million school will open as planned in September 2010. The exterior, however, will likely not be done until spring 2011. "That's our target and we're sticking to it," he said. "That's why we are pushing as hard as we can to get our approvals from the Town. We have our Ministry approvals in place. Everything is in place, except Town approvals." The ongoing delays from Town Hall are due to design and site implications of the project, which is being constructed on the same location as the current school, according to Ward 2 Councillor Cathy Duddeck. She added that the Town has very high standards when it comes to issuing building permits. "The building department comes under provincial legislation, so they have to meet strict building guidelines before the building department will authorize something to go ahead," said Duddeck, who also sits on the Town's Site Plan Committee. "And there's an inspection process that needs to take place.... They are trying to demolish the existing site and again it's complicated by the fact that what they are doing is trying to maintain one portion of the property, so students can still have ongoing education on the property, while demolishing a portion of it." Another hurdle facing the Catholic school board is gaining approval from the Town for lights for the new outdoor field planned for the school. This continues to be a point of contention between the school board and neighbourhood residents. The school board has touted the benefits of field lights, particularly that they will increase the amount of time school and community teams can use the outdoor facility. However, neighbouring residents have been vocal about their concerns over light pollution. OAKVILLE BEAVER FILE PHOTO DELAYS: The Halton District Catholic School Board has started to tear down this three-storey section of St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School. Red tape at Town Hall meant that demolition, anticipated to begin in March, did not start until this week. Despite the slow process, the school board hopes to have the new school ready for the fall of 2010. "The field lighting that we have proposed meets all Town bylaws, exceeds the performance of the Town's own field lighting system, and none of the light will spill past the school boundaries." Giacomo Corbacio, superintendent of facility management, Halton Catholic District School Board While the site plan application for the new school was approved earlier this year following several delays, the field lights were removed from the application so the Town's Site Plan Committee can consider them separately. "We have the site plan approval for the site, but what we don't have is what they took out of the approval, which was the field lighting," said Corbacio. "It is my understanding that we're aiming for another appearance before the Site Plan Committee." The delay in the approval of the field lights affects the school board's ability to complete paperwork, Corbacio said. "It's not delaying work that's going on right now, but it does have an impact on the preparation of final tender documents," Corbacio said. He added that the lights will not create problems. "The field lighting that we have proposed meets all Town bylaws, exceeds the performance of the Town's own field lighting system, and none of the light will spill past the school boundaries," he said. "It won't go onto the roadway. It won't go onto neighbours' backyards.... Technically speaking, from our perspective, there is no reason why we would be denied this application "The problem you run into with areas like this is because it is a longstanding, mature neighbourhood, the existing use is what they are used to. Now they are trying to introduce something that is totally different." Ward 2 Councillor Cathy Duddeck from a technical perspective." The school board invited neighbourhood residents of St. Thomas Aquinas to see the proposed field lights currently in use at Corpus Christi Secondary School in north Burlington last week. Duddeck accompanied a group of neighbours to see the lights. She said the residents did not like what they saw. "We had a contingent who went out to Corpus Christi to view the lights," she said. "These were some of the residents with SCORA (Southwest Central Oakville Residents' Association) and there were some residents from Barclay Square.... They have very serious concerns regarding the height of the lights, the intensity of the lights, (and) even though the board report indicates there is a cutoff in terms of how much the light will infringe on neighbours, it is still extremely intrusive." Duddeck said she's going to ask the Town's planning staff and members of the Site Plan Committee to also visit the site to see the lights. However, she said the school board can't compare the usage of field lights at Corpus Christi to the proposal for St. Thomas Aquinas because of the difference in the surrounding neighbourhoods. "This has been a longstanding, mature neighbourhood (in Oakville)," she said. "It is not like some of the other areas, like in Burlington, for instance, where the board has put up Corpus Christi, which is in a new area with not a lot of development.... The problem you run into with areas like this is because it is a longstanding, mature neighbourhood, the existing use is what they are used to. Now, they are trying to introduce something that is totally different. That is artificial turf and the field lights." More reports are due on the issue before it returns to committee, according to Duddeck. When the St. Thomas Aquinas field light proposal does come back, though, she said it is not likely she will vote in favour of it. "No, I don't think it should have lights," she said. "Honestly, it isn't part of the curriculum. It is not like it is something they need.... What they are trying to do is enhance what they are providing for students, and I can understand what they are trying to do, but they are also changing an existing neighbourhood and it is different than what you see at Corpus Christi. It's not apples to apples.... At this point, unless I see something dramatically different in terms of a report forthcoming, I don't think I can support the lights going in." SHUTTERS Shop at Home Service CALIFORNIA & PLANTATION FREE SHUTTERS ETC.