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Parents and volunteers tell council lighting problems at Ceres baseball fields pose safety risks, allege ARPA funds misallocation
Summary
Multiple public commenters told the council that light levels at Costa Fields have fallen well below recommended levels (fields measured between 16 and 43 foot-candles where ~50 is recommended), alleged misallocation of ARPA funds, and said injuries have occurred; staff asked commenters to submit documentation for review.
Two public commenters told the Ceres City Council on March 9 that lighting problems at the city’s youth baseball complex are creating safety hazards and accused city management of mishandling ARPA funds intended for repairs.
"We are volunteers," said Isabelon Tiveros, who said the city manager "is throwing the blame on us" after lighting problems persisted. Tiveros said ARPA money earmarked for Ceres Youth Baseball (CYB) — "the $80,000 plus" referenced in public remarks — had been mismanaged and that volunteers should not be blamed for incomplete lighting work.
Coach Jorge Guerrero provided a technical comparison of pre-project and current measured illumination at home plate on each field, saying: "Field 1, when they were in good condition, they had a 62 foot-candle at home plate. Now they're at 30. Field 2 used to be at 62. Now it is at 43. Field 3 is at 28. It should be at around 50. Field 4 ... it's at 16. It should be at 50." He added that the city had "spent over $100,000 in the whole project" and cited three incidents since the work, including a child who sustained facial injuries after losing sight of the ball because of poor lighting.
Guerrero said he provided five copies of a comparison and a tree-removal project proposal for staff review and invited the council to the March 27 opening ceremonies for the season.
Council and staff acknowledged the comments and indicated the documentation would be taken by staff for review. The mayor told commenters they could give the materials to staff and that staff would make sure they reach the appropriate people.
No formal action was taken during the meeting; the matter was presented during citizens communications and staff accepted the materials for follow-up.
