New Scranton Middle School Athletic Field Debated at MeetingNew Scranton Middle School Athletic Field Debated at Meeting

10/23/12 - Several dozen residents attended Monday night’s Brighton Board of Education meeting to express their displeasure with the decision to relocate the original site of the planned Scranton Middle School football field. The residents, most of whom live near the Maltby Road school, complained about the prospect of bright lights, noise coming from a public address system and more cars parking on the street. Several who addressed the board said they moved to the area for peace and quiet, and a field with blazing lights and amplified sound would diminish their quality of life. But Superintendent Greg Gray says neither of those should be problems as the nearest backyard is at least 300 feet from the field. He adds that they've done impact studies, but will study those issues again. Another critic is resident Brenda Goebbel, who lives near the school and implied voters should not vote in favor of a school millage renewal issue on the ballot next month. The new Scranton field and related facilities will be built as part of an $88 million dollar bond issue passed by voters last May. Goebbel claimed the Scranton athletic facilities upgrades were not part of the original bond, which Gray says is not the case. He tells WHMI the millage renewal doesn’t affect homeowners, since the 18-mill renewal on the ballot is only on non-homestead property and not on a person’s primary residence. The determination to move the field was a direct outgrowth of the decision to put in a roundabout on Maltby Road in front of the school instead of a traditional traffic signal. The county road commission said an additional 100 feet of land was needed to build it, and that forced the footprint for the field back to an area directly over a secondary septic system. As a result, it was decided to move the proposed field to the back of the school next to other athletic fields, but also several subdivisions and condominium developments. Gray says the decision to relocate the field is not cast in stone. In fact, the board directed administration to review the plans for the Scranton athletic facilities and report back to the board at the next meeting on Nov. 12. (TT/JK)