Residents neighboring Daffin Park oppose stadium light project

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Residents surrounding Daffin Park are mobilizing against a city plan to install three stadium lights on the park’s historic south lawn, with some opposing the project entirely while others object to the proposed design.

Signs reading “No stadium lights” line Washington Avenue homes surrounding the park. Residents have distributed approximately 100 signs in their effort to persuade city officials to reconsider the $3 million lighting project.

The city has been developing plans for the lights over more than three years to facilitate evening youth football practices at the park. However, neighbors argue the 100-foot-tall lights are oversized for their intended purpose and could harm the environment and wildlife.

“We have them in Grayson Stadium and also in Morris Field, which are recreation areas that are suitable for stadium lights so we have no objection to that,” said Nadia Pigeon, a Daffin Park resident who has led the grassroots opposition effort. “It’s stadium lights specifically here on the historic south lawn.”

Her brother, Justin Pigeon, an architect who has worked on athletic illumination projects, said the lights exceed what youth practices require.

“We’re okay with lights, just different lights,” Justin Pigeon said. “This is for kids practicing at night. Yes, we want them to have enough light so they’re not tripping on themselves so they can see well enough to practice. But that doesn’t mean they need to have light that is meant for televised football games.”

Residents said they’ve have consulted biologists about potential impacts on the park’s ecosystem, citing concerns that the bright nighttime lights could disrupt the circadian rhythms of wildlife in the area.

Mayor Van Johnson addressed the controversy at his weekly press conference Tuesday, reiterating the city’s commitment to the project.

“This is a community and a city-wide asset, and this park belongs to everybody. We’ve been playing on Daffin Park before folks lived there,” Johnson said.

The city maintains it will proceed with the lights as originally designed. Whether resident opposition will prompt officials to revisit the plan remains uncertain.