Athletic Field Soon May Get Long-Delayed Lights

Young athletes who were disappointed when Orange County’s 1994 bankruptcy scuttled plans to light up playing fields at Anaheim Hills Elementary School may soon get their wish.

Trustees with the Orange Unified School District will vote tonight on a new plan to install lights on the lower athletic field.

The proposal is expected to pass, in part because the fields are surrounded by empty lots in an unbuilt development--which means that neighbors who might protest have not yet moved in, district officials said.

Originally, the plan called for a snack bar and lights to be built at the field, which includes two baseball diamonds, used by Little Leaguers, and a soccer field.

The snack bar was dropped from the $180,000 plan because the leagues could not afford it, but the county has agreed to pay the $150,000 bill for the lighting, said Bob Campbell, the district’s director of maintenance and operations.

Anaheim and district officials recently reviewed the situation with the Little League and soccer clubs and determined the lights were still needed for practices, Campbell said.

“It’s been resurrected,” Campbell said of the plan. “Between the city and the county and the district, we’re going to make it happen.”

If the school board agrees, the lights should be shining on the athletes by November or December, he said.

The school board meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at district headquarters, 1401 N. Handy St.

Information: (714) 997-6221.