by Abigail Ramirez
Daily Lobo
An ASUNM proposal for lighting Johnson Field might find funding this year, said Brittany Jaeger, ASUNM president.
The lights would make it safer for students to walk from their cars to their dorm rooms, she said.
"Nobody would expect somebody to park a mile away from their house that they would have to walk back to in the dark," Jaeger said.
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Lighting the field could serve many purposes, she said.
Besides providing safety, the lights would allow students to use the field later to play sports and run, she said.
UNM would benefit from the lighting because it hosts many conferences, receptions and various shows in Popejoy Hall throughout the year, she said.
"Most of these events last well into the evening, yet the safety with regards to lighting offered to visitors and students on campus is nearly nonexistent," Jaeger said.
Funding for the lights will be through the building repair and renewals budget, which covers all large repairs and maintenance for the University, she said. The money will be requested in the upcoming 60-day state legislative session, she said.
The cost would be from $110,000 to $120,000, she said.
The proposal requests that some lighting remain on the entire night while the recreational lights are off, she said. These lights will not disturb on-campus students since the bright recreational lights will be turned off, she said.
Entire lighting for Johnson Field could be a problem, said Bob Garman, a UNM Physical Plant manager for the field.
The cost of installation of a control room and the supplies needed for the lights, controlling light pollution into dorm rooms, and complaints from neighbors about too much light at night from the Johnson Field would all have to be considered, he said.
Unwanted people could also be attracted onto campus, which would lead to increased security and insurance issues, he said. The insurance carrier would then probably increase insurance rates, he said.
"Would we really have to light the entire field? Maybe just one end of the field would work," he said.
However, lighting Johnson Field would be an attractive thing to students, he said.
"The field would be really utilized by far. I see a large proportion of students on campus using the gym at night," he said.
Students have been lobbying for lighting on the field for the past several years, Jaeger said.
Student James Besante said he would like the lights.
"It would make it a lot safer for students to walk across at night and can be used for recreational use, because I know that some recreational sports have to fight to get a spot at night," he said.
In addition to lighting Johnson Field, Jaeger said she has started conversations about renovating it. Such renovations would include ridding the field of potholes, which could hurt students during recreation, she said.
"Quite a few student groups use the field, and more people would use it if it was renovated," she said. "I've gotten a lot of complaints of potholes in grass and how the track is not up to par."
These improvements would come after the lights or in conjunction with the lights, she said.
Hallee Kells, ASUNM senator, said students deserve lighting on the field.
"It's a student recreation area and should be able to be used anytime, especially for students in the dorms who have to walk across Johnson Field at night," she said. "When you walk across the field, you can't see anyone or anything at all, even five feet in front of you. It's a good idea and should have been done sooner."
