LAGUNA NIGUEL : City Sports Fields to Get New Lighting

Residents young and old will have more opportunity to play baseball, softball and soccer at two of the city’s parks after new lighting and other improvements are installed in the coming months.

The City Council in recent weeks has approved plans to add lighting to four ball fields and expand two of those fields at Chapparosa Park.

The council also approved adding lights to the two ball fields and the soccer field at Bear Brand Park.

Total cost for the improvements is nearly $910,000 and will be paid for out of a $1.4-million fund created by a settlement between the city and Monarch Bay Resorts Inc.

Monarch, a development company, agreed to meet its obligation for providing recreational facilities in the area by paying cash to the city.

City Manager Tim Casey said the improvements are expected to be completed by March, 1994, and will have the same effect as building completely new fields, only at a much lower cost.

“By adding lights, you extend the use time to anywhere from 9:30 to 10:30 at night,” Casey said. “You’re doubling play and practice time at a fraction of the cost of going out and buying new land.”

For example, he said, it costs about $100,000 to install lights for a baseball or soccer field, while the cost of buying land and developing a new field can run from $400,000 to $600,000.

The expanded and reconfigured ball fields at Chapparosa Park will also improve play for adult softball and Colt and Pony League baseball, he said.

“Once we have done (the improvements), we will have done all that is practical and feasible at our city-owned fields,” Casey said.

Next on the city’s agenda is working out an agreement with the Capistrano Unified School District to build a park behind Niguel Hills Middle School.

The park, which the district and city have agreed in concept to build cooperatively, would include a running track and fields and facilities for softball, football, soccer and volleyball.

Casey said developing the park will cost about $900,000, one-third of which the city can pay out of funds remaining in the Monarch Bay fund.

The city and school district are looking for a source for the additional $600,000 that will be needed, Casey said.

“Hopefully,” he said, “we can get all of that done in time to go to bid and have construction occur in the summer of ’94.”