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Effort launched to install field lights at Cove
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COVE — Football games in Cove have traditionally been tied to the sun. Without adequate lighting, players have hit the gridiron during the day — not always conducive to the schedules of working parents and other fans. Now, an effort is under way to install lights on the school athletic field — for the students and the community at large. The project is spearheaded by the Cove Booster Club, with assistance from the City of Cove, the school district, Nancy Van Sickle at Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative and the Cove Community Association. The engineer helping with the project is Jeff Van Sickel of Power Engineers Inc. in Boise. He is an alumnus of Cove High School. “This project has been attempted several times in the past, but was just too time-consuming and expensive to accomplish,” Mari Brainerd of the booster club said. The club believes lighting will benefit students and their families by allowing games later in the evening when more parents can attend. “Parents need to have access to watch their children grow and develop,” Brainerd said, “(just as) the children need the parents to be able to attend the events to support and encourage them.” But organizers foresee broader benefits as well. With lighting, for example, the field could serve as an emergency meeting area for the entire town in the event of a disaster. The planned installation — consisting of four poles, rigged with five lights each, at the 15-yard line — will be configured with minimal light leakage into the surrounding neighborhood. To promote the idea, the booster club is holding a number of fundraising and informational events in the near future. On Saturday, a sports equipment sale will be held in the Cove High School gym. Donations of athletic equipment — skis, rollerblades, bikes, bats, cleats, batting helmets, etc. — will be accepted at the post office, Cheri’s Main St. Salon and, on Saturday, in the gym from 8 to 9 a.m. The sale will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On April 26, the club will give a presentation about the lighting and host a chili feed and bingo session in the elementary school gym from 5 to 8 p.m. The admission price of $10 covers the meal and two bingo cards; additional cards cost $1. Proceeds from the equipment sale and the chili feed/bingo night will go toward the lighting project. For more information, call Brainerd at 568-5026, or visit http://coveoregon.org/calendarandevents_special%20news.shtml . |
