HARMON FIELD LIGHTS DISCUSSED AT CHAFFEE

CHAFFEE -- The spotlight once again fell on the issue of new sports lights for Harmon Field at Monday's Chaffee City Council meeting.

Council members will deal with the matter at a special council meeting scheduled for next Monday. Ward 4 Councilman Brad Bader asked City Attorney David Summers to look over a lease-purchase agreement for a park lighting system and report back to the council at that time.

The system is being made available through a Muscatine, Iowa, lighting company named Musco. A company representative attended Monday's meeting to provide some details and answer questions about the arrangement.

The lights at Harmon Field are old and need to be replaced, city officials and others have said. In addition, city officials have said the park needs new lights outside its fence. The current lights are inside the fence.

Because of higher intensity lights, the number of light poles at the field would be reduced from eight to six.

Musco representative Jerome Moss and Ward 2 Councilman Ed Gauthier said the city would be financing $38,000 to pay for the lights. A local organization, the Country CBers, which has raised money for the lights, would reportedly kick in another $18,000.

Moss said the company could work out a financing arrangement with the city that could be as lengthy as five years. He said the system excluding lamps and underground fixtures and electrical equipment would carry a seven-year warranty on parts and labor.

The company expects it to take 45 days to install the lighting system, Moss said.

Delbert Horman of the Country CBers expressed a desire Monday to see the lights installed at the field by July 20. Chaffee, he said, was asked to host a 16-year-old baseball tournament, but can't do so without the new lights.

Some city council members expressed a willingness to look at purchasing the lighting system Monday. Ward 3 Councilman Danny Finley said installation of new lights was past due.

"The Country CBers have worked and worked on this project," he said.

But Mayor Ron Moyers and Summers cautioned council members from entering into any agreement immediately.

Moyers said he was not against new lights for the field. The council, he said, has jumped into situations before where 30 days later it wished it hadn't.

"If you all want to jump, jump. There's eight of you," Moyers told the council. The decision rested with the council members, he said.

Summers added that the council should be concerned about what responsibilities might fall on the city in connection with the installation of the lights. The mental pictures Musco might have about those responsibilities and those of the council may be different, he said.

"Nothing is as disheartening to learn (as) that you bought half of what you thought for the same money," he said.

Gauthier said he thought the city might be able to obtain voter approval of a park tax measure to help cover the costs of the lights. Such a tax could be smaller than what voters turned down in April, he said. City voters rebuffed the April proposition, 371 "no" votes to 262 "yes" votes. The proposition would have provided more money for the lights and would have raised the city's park tax from 11 to 35 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

Yet Moyers said he also had a problem with going for another park tax increase when voters already said no.

"I don't think we can take away from other projects to see that this job is completed. You guys are the ones that are going to take the heat on it," Moyers said, speaking to council members.

Horman's mother, Bonnie Horman, attended Monday's meeting. She said she has lived in Chaffee for 40 years and has dreamed of seeing new lights at the field.

"Hopefully you will change your minds. Help us get the lights," she said.