Work To Begin On Tice Valley Soccer Field Lighting Project

WALNUT CREEK, CA — In three months' time, lights will illuminate the sports field at Tice Valley Community Park, allowing soccer games, practices and other sporting events to take place well into the evening hours.

A project to install athletic lights at Tice Valley Community Park is expected to get underway next week, according to the city of Walnut Creek. Light clusters will be installed atop 80- to 90-foot-high poles at each corner, illuminating the athletic field. Each of the four poles will also have lower brightness safety lighting installed at the 50-foot mark. Control panels and other electrical equipment related to the lights will be installed adjacent to Tice Valley Boulevard.

The $1.8-million capital improvement project is in the city's 2024-2025 fiscal year budget. The Walnut Creek City Council approved a contract in September with Musco Lighting to perform the work. The city allocated $1 million in Measure O funds and $800,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act to pay for the improvement.

What To Know

The project is set to start Monday, April 7 and take about three months to complete. The city will pause irrigation May 26 to allow the sports field to dry in preparation for construction. The field is expected to be closed June 9-July 9 for foundation and light pole installation, according to Walnut Creek City Manager Dan Buckshi.

Work hours are from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays. Signs will be placed in the project vicinity beforehand to notify residents and drivers of the exact dates of the work.

"Once construction begins, the main driveway and portions of the parking lot will be closed to the public," Buckshi said in a community update for April. "Traffic will be detoured to the second driveway and will remain open throughout construction. The parking lot will remain open for daily use."

"No parking" signs will be posted during construction. Vehicles left in posted areas will be towed if necessary at the vehicle owner’s expense, the city said.

The city expects only limited disruption of the park's play structures, restrooms and gymnasium. City staff acknowledged the project would create inconveniences and will try to maintain as much public access as possible.