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KINGSTON — Kingston residents have seen the light. And it was blinding.
Just under a week since new lighting units were installed near Wyoming Seminary’s athletic fields at Hoyt and Chestnut streets, the private college preparatory school announced Friday it will begin plans to remove the four fixtures amid complaints from nearby residents.
One resident close to the site who requested anonymity said the entire neighborhood was lit up when she looked out her door at night. Other neighbors knocked on her door Thursday asking where the fixtures came from.
Some wondered if it was their own tax dollars that paid for the lights, she said.
Kingston Municipal Administrator Paul Keating said the municipality was not involved, andthe school did not need municipal approval or any permits to install the lights.
“There were zero municipal dollars involved in this project. It was exclusively a Wyoming Seminary project for the purpose of increased campus security,” he said.
Keating said he was first made aware of the issue Wednesday night. After a township patrolman alerted him of the complaints called into the police department, Keating decided to drive by and inspect the scene himself.
Keating said the lighting was “a little bit overkill.”
“It’s definitely a change to what the residents in that area would be accustomed to,” he said.
Keating said he asked the mayor and members of city council to drive through the neighborhood and provide him feedback on the matter.
When contacted by the Times Leader for comment early Friday afternoon, Seminary communications director Patty DeViva said the school was unaware of any complaints. She said the lights were added last week to enhance the safety and security of the campus.
“We have a lot of student foot traffic from our campus to the stadium, and it was very dark there,” she said.
Once school officials were made aware of the issue later Friday afternoon, a dialogue between Seminary and Kingston officials began. The result was an agreement that the fixtures would be removed as soon as possible, she said.
DeViva said school officials on Friday afternoon had already reached out to UGI Utilities to have the units taken down.
At 201 North Sprague Ave., Seminary’s Upper School is home to over 400 students in grades nine through 12. About half of those students live on campus grounds. Nesbitt Stadium, at Hoyt and Chestnut streets, is about a block away from the main campus and hosts football, baseball, softball and soccer games and practices.
DeViva said above all else, the school wants to act in the best interest of the neighborhood.
“We want to be a good neighbor,” she said. “We want to provide lighting for our students but we also don’t want to infringe on our neighborhood.”
Going forward, she said the school hopes to work with residents toward installing fixtures that protect the safety of students and the neighborhood alike.
“I’m sure we can get lights that aren’t offensive to the neighborhood,” she said.