My comments are focused on the proposed lighting at Tatlock. At the last council meeting, after public comment, Councilwoman Hamlet referenced an October 2, 2018 meeting, which I later viewed. Thank you for pointing that meeting out to us. As you observed, there were only a few residents there so to characterize that presentation by Eileen Anderson as a presentation to the Community is a gross misrepresentation. When Ms. Anderson was asked whether there was any initial community outreach, she said only the sports presidents were talked to. When Council President Naidu asked if there were any resident comments, there were none. I can assure you and Council that in 2018, we were not silent because we had nothing to say about the proposed lighting project. We, as the negatively affected Tatlock Community, were completely unaware of these progressing plans that will have a detrimental impact on our daily lives.
It is an unreasonable and burdensome expectation that every resident is looking at every meeting agenda and attending every budget meeting for anything that may remotely affect them. Your remarks at the end of public comment last meeting suggested we should have been doing just that, for then we would have caught the 3 times in the past 6 years that the potential lights at Tatlock were discussed publicly. This is a large project that would affect those in proximity to the field in a very real, and very damaging way, so the burden should not have been on us to lookout for this project. However, that sentiment only proves the point of my last public comment- The Tatlock Community cannot trust in any compromise or agreement made with Council because it can be easily changed without any notice or input from us. The Tatlock Community would have to be always be on guard, scrutinizing the council meeting agendas and budget presentations for a change in said agreement. None of us in the Tatlock Community want to live that way.
As the conversations progressed from 2018 to today, no one who will be directly impacted day in and day out by the proposed lights has been included in the discussions in any meaningful way. They have not been placed on subcommittees, consulted in an advisory capacity, or had a chance to work collaboratively and bring some perspective to the designers of this project. The DCP’s own stated progression of steps does not leave room for a genuine assessment of whether these lights even belong in the residential neighborhood to begin with. Their website and FAQs have made it clear that the lights are coming to the Tatlock Community and our concerns do not carry any weight. That is why this whole process still looks and feels very much like a dog and pony show from a Tatlock neighbor perspective.
I urge Council and the DCP to take a deeper look into the harmful daily impact lights will have on the Tatlock Community and reconsider whether it is proper to even move forward any further with this proposal at all. Thank you for listening tonight.