Williamsburg Field Evaluation Work Group Meeting Summary
Williamsburg Field Evaluation Work Group Meeting Summary Wednesday, March 16, 2016 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Williamsburg Middle School Media Center Name
Group Representing
Erik Gutshall, Chair
Planning Commission
Steve Severn
Sports Commission
Bill Ross (Stephen Finn representing)
Parks and Recreation Commission
John Seymour
E2C2
Gregg Kurasz
Rock Spring Civic Association
David Friedman
Yorktown Civic Association
Ruth Shearer
Williamsburg Civic Association
Larry Suiters
Resident (property abuts fields)
Joe Delogu
Resident (property abuts fields)
Roy Gamse
Resident (property abuts fields)
Chris Munson
Resident (property across street from fields)
Tony Trabandt
Resident (property across street from fields)
Elizabeth Kirby
Resident (property across street from fields)
Justin Wilt
Arlington Soccer Association
Susan Wallace
Arlington Women Soccer League
Eileen Raicht-Gray
Arlington Coed Soccer League
Maury Wray Bridges County Staff Support
Discovery Elementary School PTA Department
Robin Leonard
Department of Parks and Recreation
Kurt Louis
Department of Parks and Recreation
Matthew Pfeiffer
Community Planning Housing Development
Patrick Todd
Department of Parks and Recreation
Peter Lusk (Megan Carney for Peter)
Department of Parks and Recreation
Jeff Winkle
Department of Parks and Recreation
Additional County Designees Christian Dorsey
County Board Member
Jane Rudolph
Director, Department of Parks & Recreation
Dr. Reuben Varghese
Public Health Division Chief
Lyn Hainge
DHS/ Public Health Assistant Division Chief
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Williamsburg Field Evaluation Work Group Meeting Summary Wednesday, March 16, 2016 o Additional Attendees
o Additional Attendees sent
Gail Harrison (neighbor to the field) Mary Bevis (ASA)
1. Welcome: Erik Gutshall, WFWG Chair began the meeting with Introductions followed by the scheduled presentation given by Dr. Varghese. 2. Human Health Consequences Associated with Artificial Lighting Presentation Presenter: Dr. Reuben Varghese, Public Health Division Chief The presentation was posted onto the WFWG webpage on March 17, 2016. Before the presentation started, Dr. Varghese asked workgroup members for topics that they wanted covered in the presentation and Dr. Varghese spoke to the following as well: Circadian Rhythm (as it relates to cancer and sleep), Glare on aging eyes & eyesight, Blue Light, Noise, Mental Health impacts, Obesity impacts Additionally, Dr. Varghese shared with the workgroup members the Hierarchy of Evidence, often used when testing and publishing articles. Hierarchy of Evidence 1.) Unsystematic Observations (anecdotes) 2.) Physiology & Mechanic Studies (lab) 3.) Case Reports & Case Series (Systematic Observations) 4.) Case-Control/Cross Sectional Study Designs 5.) Cohort Study (no control, re: exposure) 6.) Randomized Study (control re. exposure) Higher levels of bias are at the top of the list (1,2,3) and lower levels of bias are at the bottom of the list. Decision-making should be made with available evidence. Overall conclusion by Dr. Varghese at this time is that the light risk is considered quite low in this situation for the neighbors and users. Below is a list of notes to questions asked and/or clarification points to the presentation. Most studies are done at levels 1 and 2 on the Hierarchy of Evidence scale. All light is radiation, not just blue light Blue light is a component of all white light sources – blue light by itself has not been studied Should seek DOE standards of RG 0 & RG 1 certifications
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Williamsburg Field Evaluation Work Group Meeting Summary Wednesday, March 16, 2016
3.
Exposure to light suppresses melatonin. Blue light appears to suppress melatonin most effectively of the various light. Melatonin levels do rise after light sources are darkened/turned off. Light is a low risk because the human body is resilient to protect itself (closing eyelids, naturally eyes will not want to look straight at a light source, etc.) against lighting effects. The body has natural defenses to protect itself from bright light sources – such as the sun. These defenses are expected to protect against artificial bright light sources as they have in the past. R. Gamse asked if LED Light is more harmful than white light? LED is white light. The light from the sun is white light. Incandescent light is also white light as public health understands it. Blue light is part of the spectrum that produces white light. Using products that are part of the CCT scale are considered safe by the Department of Energy. In addition, the natural human defenses noted in the presentation are expected to further reduce exposure to bright light effects. In addition, proper task lighting is necessary to make sure that those who engage in the task are able to perform the task safely. L. Suiters expressed concern that Arlington County may equip LED lights on all fields. He was reminded that all lights have blue lights in them, LED lights may have more. We have been unable to find evidence that LED lights on fields – lights which continue blue spectrum light in addition to other color spectrum lights – have adverse human health effects. Chairman Gutshall and work group members were encouraged to write out specific questions that they would like to have answered through written correspondence. This work to be completed at the scheduled April 13 meeting. Any suggested questions should be sent to the Chairman through e-mail and cc: Robin Leonard. No questions should be sent directly to Dr. Varghese. ASA Presentation– How ASA allocates fields to its teams? Presentation was conducted by Justin Wilt and Mary Bevis. The following items were shared: Every six months, DPR provides its User Groups with allotted field space, ASA is one such group. 6,500 children in the ASA Recreation Soccer program. This is made up as 12 neighborhood clubs throughout the county. Clubs practice at multiple fields throughout the county Five neighborhood clubs will use the WMS fields Each neighborhood club can have multiple teams Practice Time on weekdays: 1 hour of time for Grades: K & 1
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Williamsburg Field Evaluation Work Group Meeting Summary Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Practice Time on weekdays: 1 ½ hours of time for Grades 2 and older There currently is not enough field space in Arlington County for all teams to get practice time each week. There is a need for fields, especially in North Arlington. Each full size (11 v 11) field may be sub-divided into fourths… allowing four teams to practice on a sliver of the field. Not every team will have a goal to practice with. The WMS Fields are available for the following times: o Field #1 ,closest to Discovery, use begins @ 5:00 p.m.: 5-6p.m. & 6-7p.m. o Field #2, closest to Williamsburg Middle School, use begins @ 5:30 p.m.: 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.. & 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. (due to lack of daylight, little use can be scheduled after 7:30 p.m.) Some teams (typically HS age players) will practice until 10 p.m. in other parts of the county where lights exist. Games are only held on Saturday and Sundays Youth Games are only scheduled until 6:30 p.m. on either day, rarely do games begin before Noon on Sundays. For DPR, the highest need for fields is during the week. ASA requests that if lights go onto the WMS fields, they be lit until at least 9:30 p.m. weekdays for practices. Demand is there and some teams do not get sufficient practice times under current allocations. Games start 12 days after the first day of school.
Larry Suiters asked: Would the fields only be used for Youth Soccer? No, they have never been used for youth soccer only. Chairman Gutshall asked: What governs use of fields? Scheduling Staff follow written/posted policies: Parks are open from Sunrise to ½ hour after sunset. Based on best practices and consideration of surrounding neighborhoods, DPR tries to schedule games to start after 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays and after 9:00 a.m. on Sundays, with most activities beginning after Noon on Sundays. MOAs can be developed as mitigation efforts. 4. Review of Impacts & Identify Mitigation Efforts Chairman Gutshall skipped this agenda item and it has been pushed to the April 13 meeting.
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Williamsburg Field Evaluation Work Group Meeting Summary Wednesday, March 16, 2016 5. Community Outreach Plan Chairman Gutshall began this discussion and identified that May 18 may be the best day for the WFWG to hold a Public Input Session. He sought feedback on what the best method for such may be. He shared examples: hold a public comment session and allow anyone from the public 2 minutes to speak, or use tables and people gather to discuss specific topics and report out after. Feedback provided from the group included: - May is possibly too early to do this work. - We should not have a Public Comment Session until all of the items on the Fact Finding List are complete. - Neighbors are already reaching out to one another and are getting input. - Civic Associations are sharing some information about these meetings in their monthly newsletters. The chairman charged the workgroup to come back in April with ideas on ways we can do fair outreach to the entire public and seek their input on whether or not the WMS Fields are lit. Chairman Gutshall shared with the committee the following information: - Christian Dorsey is the new County Board liaison for this workgroup. - Erik Gutshall and Christian Dorsey were going to meet on Thursday morning to discuss the work group’s progress. - WFWG members wanted the following shared in the discussion: Musco appears to be the only company that can provide information on this topic; There is a lack of independent experts to provide additional or different information that County Staff and/or Musco has provided; Workgroup feels there are stall tactics being done by county staff; What is the status of the workgroup’s extension request? 6.
Timeline Update & next steps (Nothing was shared under this topic area)
7.
Adjourned
Upcoming Meetings: April 13 (Williamsburg Middle School) May 18 (Discovery Elementary School)
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Group Representing
Erik Gutshall, Chair
Planning Commission
Steve Severn
Sports Commission
Bill Ross (Stephen Finn representing)
Parks and Recreation Commission
John Seymour
E2C2
Gregg Kurasz
Rock Spring Civic Association
David Friedman
Yorktown Civic Association
Ruth Shearer
Williamsburg Civic Association
Larry Suiters
Resident (property abuts fields)
Joe Delogu
Resident (property abuts fields)
Roy Gamse
Resident (property abuts fields)
Chris Munson
Resident (property across street from fields)
Tony Trabandt
Resident (property across street from fields)
Elizabeth Kirby
Resident (property across street from fields)
Justin Wilt
Arlington Soccer Association
Susan Wallace
Arlington Women Soccer League
Eileen Raicht-Gray
Arlington Coed Soccer League
Maury Wray Bridges County Staff Support
Discovery Elementary School PTA Department
Robin Leonard
Department of Parks and Recreation
Kurt Louis
Department of Parks and Recreation
Matthew Pfeiffer
Community Planning Housing Development
Patrick Todd
Department of Parks and Recreation
Peter Lusk (Megan Carney for Peter)
Department of Parks and Recreation
Jeff Winkle
Department of Parks and Recreation
Additional County Designees Christian Dorsey
County Board Member
Jane Rudolph
Director, Department of Parks & Recreation
Dr. Reuben Varghese
Public Health Division Chief
Lyn Hainge
DHS/ Public Health Assistant Division Chief
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Williamsburg Field Evaluation Work Group Meeting Summary Wednesday, March 16, 2016 o Additional Attendees
o Additional Attendees sent
Gail Harrison (neighbor to the field) Mary Bevis (ASA)
1. Welcome: Erik Gutshall, WFWG Chair began the meeting with Introductions followed by the scheduled presentation given by Dr. Varghese. 2. Human Health Consequences Associated with Artificial Lighting Presentation Presenter: Dr. Reuben Varghese, Public Health Division Chief The presentation was posted onto the WFWG webpage on March 17, 2016. Before the presentation started, Dr. Varghese asked workgroup members for topics that they wanted covered in the presentation and Dr. Varghese spoke to the following as well: Circadian Rhythm (as it relates to cancer and sleep), Glare on aging eyes & eyesight, Blue Light, Noise, Mental Health impacts, Obesity impacts Additionally, Dr. Varghese shared with the workgroup members the Hierarchy of Evidence, often used when testing and publishing articles. Hierarchy of Evidence 1.) Unsystematic Observations (anecdotes) 2.) Physiology & Mechanic Studies (lab) 3.) Case Reports & Case Series (Systematic Observations) 4.) Case-Control/Cross Sectional Study Designs 5.) Cohort Study (no control, re: exposure) 6.) Randomized Study (control re. exposure) Higher levels of bias are at the top of the list (1,2,3) and lower levels of bias are at the bottom of the list. Decision-making should be made with available evidence. Overall conclusion by Dr. Varghese at this time is that the light risk is considered quite low in this situation for the neighbors and users. Below is a list of notes to questions asked and/or clarification points to the presentation. Most studies are done at levels 1 and 2 on the Hierarchy of Evidence scale. All light is radiation, not just blue light Blue light is a component of all white light sources – blue light by itself has not been studied Should seek DOE standards of RG 0 & RG 1 certifications
P a g e | 2 of 5
Williamsburg Field Evaluation Work Group Meeting Summary Wednesday, March 16, 2016
3.
Exposure to light suppresses melatonin. Blue light appears to suppress melatonin most effectively of the various light. Melatonin levels do rise after light sources are darkened/turned off. Light is a low risk because the human body is resilient to protect itself (closing eyelids, naturally eyes will not want to look straight at a light source, etc.) against lighting effects. The body has natural defenses to protect itself from bright light sources – such as the sun. These defenses are expected to protect against artificial bright light sources as they have in the past. R. Gamse asked if LED Light is more harmful than white light? LED is white light. The light from the sun is white light. Incandescent light is also white light as public health understands it. Blue light is part of the spectrum that produces white light. Using products that are part of the CCT scale are considered safe by the Department of Energy. In addition, the natural human defenses noted in the presentation are expected to further reduce exposure to bright light effects. In addition, proper task lighting is necessary to make sure that those who engage in the task are able to perform the task safely. L. Suiters expressed concern that Arlington County may equip LED lights on all fields. He was reminded that all lights have blue lights in them, LED lights may have more. We have been unable to find evidence that LED lights on fields – lights which continue blue spectrum light in addition to other color spectrum lights – have adverse human health effects. Chairman Gutshall and work group members were encouraged to write out specific questions that they would like to have answered through written correspondence. This work to be completed at the scheduled April 13 meeting. Any suggested questions should be sent to the Chairman through e-mail and cc: Robin Leonard. No questions should be sent directly to Dr. Varghese. ASA Presentation– How ASA allocates fields to its teams? Presentation was conducted by Justin Wilt and Mary Bevis. The following items were shared: Every six months, DPR provides its User Groups with allotted field space, ASA is one such group. 6,500 children in the ASA Recreation Soccer program. This is made up as 12 neighborhood clubs throughout the county. Clubs practice at multiple fields throughout the county Five neighborhood clubs will use the WMS fields Each neighborhood club can have multiple teams Practice Time on weekdays: 1 hour of time for Grades: K & 1
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Williamsburg Field Evaluation Work Group Meeting Summary Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Practice Time on weekdays: 1 ½ hours of time for Grades 2 and older There currently is not enough field space in Arlington County for all teams to get practice time each week. There is a need for fields, especially in North Arlington. Each full size (11 v 11) field may be sub-divided into fourths… allowing four teams to practice on a sliver of the field. Not every team will have a goal to practice with. The WMS Fields are available for the following times: o Field #1 ,closest to Discovery, use begins @ 5:00 p.m.: 5-6p.m. & 6-7p.m. o Field #2, closest to Williamsburg Middle School, use begins @ 5:30 p.m.: 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.. & 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. (due to lack of daylight, little use can be scheduled after 7:30 p.m.) Some teams (typically HS age players) will practice until 10 p.m. in other parts of the county where lights exist. Games are only held on Saturday and Sundays Youth Games are only scheduled until 6:30 p.m. on either day, rarely do games begin before Noon on Sundays. For DPR, the highest need for fields is during the week. ASA requests that if lights go onto the WMS fields, they be lit until at least 9:30 p.m. weekdays for practices. Demand is there and some teams do not get sufficient practice times under current allocations. Games start 12 days after the first day of school.
Larry Suiters asked: Would the fields only be used for Youth Soccer? No, they have never been used for youth soccer only. Chairman Gutshall asked: What governs use of fields? Scheduling Staff follow written/posted policies: Parks are open from Sunrise to ½ hour after sunset. Based on best practices and consideration of surrounding neighborhoods, DPR tries to schedule games to start after 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays and after 9:00 a.m. on Sundays, with most activities beginning after Noon on Sundays. MOAs can be developed as mitigation efforts. 4. Review of Impacts & Identify Mitigation Efforts Chairman Gutshall skipped this agenda item and it has been pushed to the April 13 meeting.
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Williamsburg Field Evaluation Work Group Meeting Summary Wednesday, March 16, 2016 5. Community Outreach Plan Chairman Gutshall began this discussion and identified that May 18 may be the best day for the WFWG to hold a Public Input Session. He sought feedback on what the best method for such may be. He shared examples: hold a public comment session and allow anyone from the public 2 minutes to speak, or use tables and people gather to discuss specific topics and report out after. Feedback provided from the group included: - May is possibly too early to do this work. - We should not have a Public Comment Session until all of the items on the Fact Finding List are complete. - Neighbors are already reaching out to one another and are getting input. - Civic Associations are sharing some information about these meetings in their monthly newsletters. The chairman charged the workgroup to come back in April with ideas on ways we can do fair outreach to the entire public and seek their input on whether or not the WMS Fields are lit. Chairman Gutshall shared with the committee the following information: - Christian Dorsey is the new County Board liaison for this workgroup. - Erik Gutshall and Christian Dorsey were going to meet on Thursday morning to discuss the work group’s progress. - WFWG members wanted the following shared in the discussion: Musco appears to be the only company that can provide information on this topic; There is a lack of independent experts to provide additional or different information that County Staff and/or Musco has provided; Workgroup feels there are stall tactics being done by county staff; What is the status of the workgroup’s extension request? 6.
Timeline Update & next steps (Nothing was shared under this topic area)
7.
Adjourned
Upcoming Meetings: April 13 (Williamsburg Middle School) May 18 (Discovery Elementary School)
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