New Turf Practice Field at Tiger Hollow Approved

Tiger Hollow Inc.'s plan to build a new turf athletic field with lighting adjacent to Tiger Hollow Stadium at Ridgefield High School received final approval from the Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday.

Conditions imposed on the approval include that the field lights must be fully shut off by 11 p.m. What's more, any sports group which wraps up an evening practice on the field ahead of schedule will be required to shut off the lights as soon as the practice or event is over.

As with the stadium field, the lights for the practice field — which will be mounted on 70-foot high poles — will controlled remotely via a computer system. Because the lights take about 30 minutes to completely shut off, the shut down process must commence by 10:30 p.m.

The commission, however, stipulated that the lights can be left on for up to 30 minutes following an event to allow crowds to safely leave the field area.

The 120 x 60 yard turf field will replace an existing grass practice field that is perpendicular to the stadium and will be used for a variety of youth sports including football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey.

The project is estimated to cost $1.2 million and will be funded using private donations. The town has agreed to maintain the field, however the amount of funding to be budgeted for maintenance is yet to be determined.

Tiger Hollow Inc. hopes to begin construction this spring and have the new field completed by Sept. 1. The commission approved the revision to special permit unanimously and with little debate.