Palm Coast to study lighting options, measurements after months-long dispute over Ralph Carter Park lights and parking

Palm Coast city leaders on April 8 directed staff to collect technical details and pricing for lighting changes at Ralph Carter Park and to report back to the council, after a nearly three-hour workshop session in which residents, coaches and league organizers debated conflicting quality-of-life and youth-sports priorities.

The nut graf: The council sought specific, actionable steps — measurements, vendor pricing for LED retrofits or dimming, and software-capability checks — rather than an immediate policy change; council members said they want to protect youth-sports access while addressing neighborhood impacts.

James Hurst, the city’s Director of Parks and Recreation, reviewed field usage and recent improvements at Ralph Carter Park and across the city’s sports inventory. He said a proposal to retrofit lights across the entire park was priced at about $485,000, while an LED retrofit for the two fields alone had a vendor estimate near $370,000. Hurst also summarized participation and permitting data: the city recorded about 5,492 permits across park fields in the referenced year, with heavy participation at Indian Trails Sports Complex and Ralph Carter.

Residents who live adjacent to the park said the lights and late activity have degraded sleep and general livability. Marian Petruzzi, who identified herself as a neighborhood-watch leader for the R Section, said the park “was designed and built to be a neighborhood park” and that long-running league activity and lights now reach into residents’ backyards approximately 22 yards from the property line.

League representatives and volunteers argued that youth-sports programming yields demonstrable public benefits. Jared Maxwell, coach and Mad Dogs organizer, outlined youth-development outcomes and said his volunteers should not be expected to police parking or enforcement. “My job is to run a youth league... My job is not a parking lot attendant for the city of Palm Coast,” Maxwell said.

Council members repeatedly asked for technical specifics rather than immediate policy changes. Councilmember Gambaro asked for pole heights and confirmed Hurst would provide measurements and the vendor options; Hurst said poles are substantial and would require replacement rather than simple lowering if upgrades were done. City staff said the lights are controlled by Musco software; dimming capability exists if the city purchases new LED systems but is not available with the current equipment.

The council agreed on several directions: staff will obtain pole heights and vendor quotes for partial and full LED retrofits, verify software dimming capabilities, provide an inventory of hours and permit conditions, and explore increased enforcement options in coordination with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Staff also noted an MOU with the school district allowing use of Rimfire Elementary parking for practices, and that park lights for fields had been set to turn off at 8:30 p.m. as a compromise while basketball and skate-park push-button lights run until 10 p.m.

Ending: Council members signaled an appetite for a longer-term sports-facilities strategy — including a possible west-of-US-1 complex — while asking staff to return with pricing and technical details ahead of the next budget cycle. No ordinance or formal vote altering park use was adopted at the workshop.