Re: ‘Athletic Fields Open for More Public Review’

Your article ‘Athletic Fields Open for More Public Review’ omits many important details about this proposed project. Most importantly is the fact that this project is not simply a “field upgrade” but rather a change of usage to a rental sports facility managed by HARD open until 10pm every night 365 days a year. In fact, CVUSD is required to request permission from HARD to use their own fields after school hours. This change of usage is possible through a legal loophole which allows CVUSD to bypass any normal civic planning process or real environmental impact study. Placeworks submitted a lesser “environmental review” to the school board 12/24/2024 which was so deeply flawed and incomplete, CVUSD was forced to reopen the process. Most glaringly, the initial report approved by the board stated: “The project would include ONE, 70-foot light pole. It would only be lit until dusk, per current park hours”. The revised edition gives more of the real picture: 14 lights up to 90’ tall on until 10pm. The revised document primarily emphasizes meeting the needs of youth soccer clubs but now includes the actual agreement between HARD and CVUSD. This contract allows HARD to rent to anyone including adult sports leagues from anywhere, again until 10pm every night 365 days a year. The Forum article does not address the legitimate question: Was the non-disclosure of the actual scale and usage of the project incompetence or was it deliberate? Also, the article fails to mention CVUSD only met the bare minimum requirements of public notice resulting in delaying the project and unnecessarily pitting the surrounding neighborhoods of Canyon Middle School against CV families in desperate need of improved soccer facilities. Finally, missing is the fact everyone wants the same thing: improved fields for our youth with reasonable neighborhood accommodation.

–John Hauser, Castro Valley