Riverbend Sports Field Improvements
Replacing field lighting on the four soccer fields and regrading two natural grass fields to fix drainage.
Project phase
- Planning (complete)
- Design (current phase)
- Procurement
- Construction
- Completed
Project overview
The 2003 field lighting at Riverbend has reached the end of its service life and spills light into the neighborhoods north of River Road. The project replaces it with directional LED fixtures that reduce spill and glare while cutting lighting energy use by an estimated 60 percent.
Fields 3 and 4 hold water after rain and are unplayable for days at a time each winter. Both will be regraded with new subsurface drainage and reseeded.
Scope of work
- Replace field lighting on Fields 1 through 4 with directional LED fixtures
- Install a lighting control system with scheduled shutoff
- Regrade Fields 3 and 4 and install subsurface drainage
- Reseed the regraded fields and establish turf over one growing season
- Replace the spectator walkway between Fields 2 and 3 with an accessible paved route
Budget and funding
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Capital reserve | $1,400,000 |
| County regional park grant | $700,000 |
| Youth sports organization contribution | $200,000 |
| Total project budget | $2,300,000 |
Project updates
Schematic design accepted
The Board accepted schematic design at its August meeting. Photometric modeling shows light spill at the River Road property line falling below 0.1 footcandles, which meets the standard requested by neighbors at the April meeting.
Neighborhood meeting on lighting
Twenty-eight residents attended the April 22 meeting. The main request was a firm shutoff time, which has been incorporated as an automatic 10:00 p.m. cutoff with no manual override.
Public involvement
How residents have been involved so far, and what is still to come.
- Neighborhood meeting on lighting and spill reduction, April 22, 2026
- Youth sports organization coordination meetings, quarterly
- Board review of 60 percent design documents, anticipated January 2027