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Ceres council tables plan to remove 39 Smyrna Park trees after safety, neighborhood concerns
Summary
Councilmembers tabled a proposal that would remove 39 trees at Smyrna Park to address shading on newly installed energy-saving field lights after youth baseball groups and residents urged a study and alternative fixes.
The Ceres City Council on Feb. 9 tabled a proposal to remove 39 trees at Smyrna Park after lengthy public comment and council discussion about safety, lighting performance and neighborhood impacts.
City staff and the city engineer said the lighting project was installed to meet energy-savings requirements tied to a grant and carries a standard one-year warranty, but that some fixtures are being shaded by tree canopies and may need adjustment. The city engineer told the council that the arborist contract for tree removal is agendized for $57,060 from the Smyrna Park project budget and that the lighting vendor could return to make adjustments after any tree work.
Representatives of Ceres Youth Baseball (CYB) and youth coaches told the council they had measured light levels around several infields and found readings below Little League and tournament standards. Manuel Tiveros, vice president of CYB, said meters showed infield levels dropping as low as 18 foot-candles in spots that previously read above 50 and described an intermittent strobe effect that makes tracking fly balls difficult for players. "Trees have nothing to do with lighting that infield," he said, urging the city to correct lighting aiming or specifications rather than remove trees.
Other youth coaches and parents said trimming or re-aiming lights and conducting a professional field lighting study should be done before removing mature trees that provide neighborhood shade. Several speakers offered to contribute to the cost of a study; one representative proposed the league pay $1,000 and asked the city to fund the remainder.
Council members expressed competing priorities: some said the trees should be cut if they create safety risks for players, while others highlighted neighborhood impacts such as increased heat and loss of privacy if many trees are removed. Councilwoman Serena Otero thanked the youth baseball leaders for their work and said she was open to a study to measure actual light levels. Council member Viera raised concerns about notifying neighbors and complying with CalGreen shade guidance before removing trees.
After discussion about warranties, grant restrictions and project funding, Mayor Javier Lopez moved to table the item to allow staff to notify residents and gather additional information; the motion carried 4-0.
The council asked staff to engage the lighting vendor, consider an independent lighting assessment, and return the item at a later meeting with neighborhood outreach results and any recommended alternatives to wholesale tree removal.
