After concerns from neighbors, poles near Estancia High’s baseball field to come down
Poles supporting a netting structure meant to intercept foul balls from Estancia High School’s baseball field before they strike nearby homes and solar panels are coming down.
Newport-Mesa Unified School District Supt. Fred Navarro wrote in a Thursday letter to nearby Joann Street residents that the school district will direct contractors Monday to remove the poles planted along the first- and third-base lines.
Joann Street backyards are aligned directly behind the third-base line, while a row of six solar panels covering a school parking lot run parallel to the first-base line.
In original construction plans, the netting structure was intended to be 80 feet tall and cost $640,014.
District officials on Friday afternoon were not able to immediately provide the cost of removing the poles.
Adjacent residents said they learned of the project when they heard the 16 poles, each about 20 feet tall, being installed by the field in early August.
Later in the month, residents arranged two community meetings with school district staff to discuss their concerns and possible solutions.
Residents’ biggest concerns were obstructed backyard views and a potentially negative impact on property values.
At the second community meeting, district officials explained that at least four poles along the third-base line could come out but those between the first-base line and the solar panels needed to stay in place to anchor the structure.
They also mentioned that the netting could be taken down on the remaining poles on the third-base line so long as residents living behind those poles signed a waiver releasing the district from liability.
The possibility of planting trees to prevent the poles from being seen from the backyards was also brought up by district staff.
Navarro’s letter stated that the district will explore other options to prevent foul balls from hitting the homes and the solar panels and that those options will be presented to them next year.
Twitter: @AlexandraChan10
