News and information related to the possibility of adding lights to fields #1 and #2 at Crittenden Park.

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Q.  Who owns Greg Crittenden Memorial Park?
A.  Greg Crittenden Memorial Park (Crittenden Park) is owned by the County of Loudoun.  The fields are allocated each year by the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services (PRCS).  Dulles Little League (DLL) has been allocated these fields since 1995 and has spent a significant amount of its own funds to make capital improvements and for general park maintenance.  DLL and PRCS are working together on the proposed installation of lights at Crittenden.
 
Q.  Why does DLL want to light Crittenden Park?
A.  DLL would like to light Crittenden fields 1 and 2 to better support our players and coaches.  Over the past few years, DLL’s program has grown to over 1,000 players; however, DLL’s field allocation by the county has not grown to keep pace with the growth of our league.  As a result, DLL must constantly juggle schedules and often has difficulties finding fields for our teams to play on. 
 
Q.  How would the installation of lights at Crittenden affect parking along Windmill Drive?
A.  The installation of lights at Crittenden should not have impact on parking.  The lights would simply allow DLL to complete its normal slate of games and tournaments in a more efficient manner.  During the spring and summer of 2010 DLL did experience parking issues due to the repaving of the Ashburn Farm pool parking lot which caused many of the pool patrons to park in the Crittenden parking lot, leaving DLL game patrons to find street parking along Windmill Drive.
 
Q.  How often does DLL host tournaments? 
A.  DLL has hosted a district tournament almost every summer for the past 20 years.  The tournament is always held the first two weeks in July. 
 
Q.  Will hosting a tournament mean the lights will be on practically all night?
A.  No, these are Little League Fields, not high school or Babe Ruth fields.  Little League players are children 12 years old and younger and game times are scheduled with this in mind.  Most nights, the lights would be turned off by 8:30 PM and in rare circumstances (weather delay, tournament play) they would be turned off by 10 PM at the latest.  
 
Q.  Will having lighted fields result in an increased noise level to the surrounding community?
A.  No, the installation of lights should have no impact on the noise level.  As previously stated, DLL players are between the ages of 5 and 12 years old and game patrons are typically players’ parents, grandparents, and siblings.  Little League is a family based, community organization, not a professional sports team with late nights and rowdy fans.

 
Q.  Will the lights be so bright that they affect the neighborhood?
A.  No, with the new lighting technology offered by Musco Lighting, this is not a problem.  Musco uses a shaded light system that directs the light only onto the field and not the surrounding community.  For more information please visit Musco Lighting’s website:  http://www.musco.com/musco.php.  In addition to the advanced lighting technology used by Musco, the trees surrounding Crittenden Park are tall enough to offer a natural buffer thus providing additional protection from the lights for any neighboring homes.
 
Q.  What will a typical schedule of games using lights be?
A.  DLL does not anticipate drastic alterations to its current game schedule.  In fact, the lights may not be used for much of the spring season, but they offer DLL flexibility in the event we have a number of rained out games to make-up in latter part of the season.  During a typical fall season the lights would be on until 8:30 PM a few evenings a week. 
 
Q.  Does lighting the fields allow DLL to make more money?
A.  DLL is a non-profit organization.  Having a lighted field makes DLL eligible to host a state tournament, which every Little League organization aspires to.  Hosting a state tournament can bring in a fair amount of money for the league and district.  Local businesses also benefit from an increase in sales as families and visitors attending the state tournament patronize local shops, restaurants, and hotels.
 
Q.  What would DLL do with the money?
A.  DLL always has capital improvement projects in the pipeline but is not always able to complete them due to budget constraints.  DLL’s first priority is always safety related improvements.  DLL also has several fields with aging or damaged dugouts and fences.  In addition, the equipment loaned to each team every season must be changed out every few years due to wear and tear and we have to replace old and broken maintenance equipment, as well as the concession stand equipment.
 
Q.  Does DLL have any paid staff?
A.  No, DLL is run entirely by volunteers.  All DLL Board members and coaches are volunteers who donate a significant amount of their time to bring this program to the children of Ashburn.  DLL does pay for junior umpires; however, these individuals are not employed by DLL.