Tennis club want lights at Cubberley courts Tennis club want lights at Cubberley courts (October 26, 2005)

Neighbors complain, question need

by Bill D'Agostino

A proposal by the Palo Alto Tennis Club to add lights to six tennis courts at the city's Cubberley Community Center is distressing residents in the Greenmeadow Neighborhood.

"We're not thrilled about it," said Kendra Hornbostel, who lives immediately adjacent to the courts. "We'd just prefer not to have any more lights poking over the fence."

If the lights were added, Hornbostel would like play to end at 8 p.m. The club is proposing a 10 p.m. blackout.

Last week, the club held a meeting with neighbors, at which time it presented its proposal. Last night, after the Weekly's deadline, the city's Parks and Recreation Commission was scheduled to review the plan. The commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council.

The club is offering $20,000 to help pay for the lights, which would cost between $110,000 and $130,000 to purchase and install, according to the plan. The remainder of the funds would come from the city, possibly from fees imposed on new developments. The city would also be responsible for ongoing maintenance.

The club suggested reducing noise by using flashing lights instead of audible buzzers when alerting players the lights are about to turn off. Also, the new lights would only be 20 feet tall, shorter than those at Rinconada or Mitchell parks.

"The taller poles produce more light spillover into the surrounding area," the proposal noted.

The tennis club and the neighbors dispute the demand for illumination.

The club recently surveyed its members and "the majority of respondents said there should be more lighted courts," according to the proposal. It also predicts there will be an increased call for tennis courts due to new housing developments in south Palo Alto. According to a recent city report, cited by the proposal, 19 of Palo Alto's 58 public courts have lights.

"We think there's a great need for this project," said Kay Carey, the president of the Palo Alto Tennis Club.

Resident Louise Herring disagreed.

The club hasn't presented "an awful lot of evidence there is a group of people wanting to play at these hours," said Herring, who lives near the courts but said she wouldn't be affected by the proposed lights. "I play tennis; I've never, ever played in the dark."

The city's November 2004 report determined there's an adequate number of courts for local tennis players; however, the club believes 12 courts are unplayable due to their poor condition.

"Overall, it is possible to walk on any of the tennis courts in Palo Alto, weekday or weekend, and be able to secure a court for tennis activities," the report concluded. The club's proposal did not cite that summation.

Staff Writer Bill D'Agostino can be e-mailed at bdagostino@paweekly.com.

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