School committee approves application to Planning Board to expand night use at Piper Field

The Marblehead School Committee voted to authorize the district to seek relief from a 2013 planning decision that limited night-time use of the lights and public-address system at Piper Field.

District administrators told the committee that the 2013 decision limited the turf field’s lighting to 12 nights a year and restricted PA use to football games. The administration asked the committee to approve filing an application with the Planning Board to increase permitted light and PA use so more sub-varsity games and practices could be held on the new turf at Piper Field, thereby freeing other town fields for youth and adult league use.

In committee discussion, members pressed for the application to be narrowly focused on lighting and PA use only, not to reopen unrelated planning conditions such as parking or other site elements. Committee members and staff noted the field’s new LED lighting reduces light spill compared with older fixtures and said lights were the priority; some members expressed concern that PA amplification might generate more neighbor opposition than lighting alone.

Committee members also raised Title IX and equity concerns if the field were limited only to one sport; the proposed change would allow use for multiple teams and levels.

With the committee’s approval, staff said the administration will work with the town planning office and legal counsel on a draft application and aim to have the Planning Board consider the request at its next available meeting. The committee’s approval triggers the formal application process but does not itself change any planning conditions.

The committee directed staff to share the application language with the full committee before submission and to coordinate outreach with youth athletics and other stakeholders.