Brookfield resident Matt Lucy, an electrician, wants to undertake what he called “a little project here of my own.”
“Little” is not how most people would describe a project to construct lights for night games at Fields 1 and 2 at Brookfield Township Community Park.
Lucy acknowledged he has to raise a lot of money and the effort will take at least two years to bring to fruition, but he said he has made great progress soliciting donations of money, materials and labor.
“The project, it’s not gonna be cheap,” he told the trustees July 11. “It’s gonna be expensive. I don’t want anybody to incur costs for it. I have a lot of donations and stuff lined up for everything. It’s gonna probably be a couple hundred thousand per field to do this.”
“I’m gonna try my hardest” to raise all money needed, he said. “It might take a couple years.”
In asking for the trustees’ blessing, Lucy said, “I would like to have nice things for our kids in the community because it’s a nice park. Why not utilize it? We could have more tournaments down there with lights. The amount of money that would be brought in for having tournaments down there is pretty significant.”
The lights would be energy-efficient, costing $30 to $50 a month in electricity, and Brookfield Youth Baseball and Softball League has agreed to absorb the monthly cost, Lucy said.
The lights and poles would be made by the same company that made the ones at Nicholas Field on Addison Road, Brookfield High School’s football field.
“The big thing is, I don’t want you guys to have to pay for it.” Lucy said. “I’d like to get as much of it donated as possible.”
Trustee Mark Ferrara said he supported the idea, and said he would be interested in upgrading the parking lot lights at the same time.
“I’m just saying, if you’re gonna do it, let’s do it right,” he said.
Trustee Dan Suttles said he is in favor of anything that gets more people involved in township parks.
The trustees also cautioned Lucy to talk to a lawyer, or work with a foundation that can help guide him through the legalities of the project.
