Kipke Hopes to Light Chesapeake High

Chesapeake High upgraded to a new turf field this fall, but the renovations weren't complete - the new field was still using an outdated lighting system.

District 31 Delegate Nic Kipke has stepped in and proposed legislation that may make this second upgrade a reality at a cost of $300,000. Under Kipke's proposal, the cost will be split between both county and state money.

"The lights at Chesapeake High School have outlived their life expectancy," said Kipke, who added that the current system uses much more energy than modern systems.

The current system uses lights attached to wood poles that can degrade over time, Kipke said.

"In fact, during a wind storm several years ago at Severna Park High School one of the poles came crashing down. There is an obvious safety issue that needs to be addressed," said Kipke.

Responses to Kipke's announcement of the propsal on his Facebook page have been lukewarm, however.

"Waste of money," said one commenter. "We are $1.6 billion in debt!"

Another said that state money should not be used on this project since it did not benefit Maryland as a whole.

Kipke said that the amount of use that the new lighting will see makes the project worthwhile.

"I think people initially did not realize that the new turf field will be used for much more than just high school football games," said Kipke. "The new field will be used for hundreds of games every year, including recreational leagues in addition to high school and middle school sports. In consideration of the increased utilization and safety needs I believe this project is a priority for our community."

Chesapeake High Principal Frank Drazan emphasized that while the current system is outdated and will eventually need to be replaced, it's not currently posing a danger to spectators or players.

"I know a lot of the athletic teams would appreciate it and I've heard from parents and students who have been here for games," said Drazan. "Because the lighting is all on one side, they'd like to have a more evenly lit field. I believe that more light would be safer for kids playing on it but I can't say that it's unsafe at this moment."