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By SEAN ROCCA

For The Washington Daily News

The Susiegray McConnell Sports Complex added lighting to soccer fields, allowing practices and games to be taken place at night. The fields have been open for 20 years and have never had lighting to illuminate the fields. Now, all eight fields at the complex will have lights.

“It’s exciting,” Parks and Recreation Director Kristi Roberson said. “This opens a world of opportunities. We have always had issues in the fall with daylight savings because it gets dark earlier. Now with these lights, we won’t have that issue. It benefits kids to be able to play at different times.”

The process began in March of this year. Roberson issued a purchase order for eight new lights for the eight fields at the complex. She said the total cost of these lights was $800,818. This was paid for by the City of Washington. The lights came from Musco, a company that specializes in lighting for athletic facilities. By May, most of the project was completed. The installation has been completed and Roberson said she is waiting for Musco to come and show her how the operating system works.

They are expected to be up and running by the fall soccer season in September. Currently, the only ones using the fields are the summer camps and Roberson said they will not need the lights. “The camps are daytime camps,” she said. “With the lights, we can move them to later afternoons or evenings but that is not scheduled yet.”

The camps are put on by the Optimist Club of Washington. The club runs the city soccer program and uses the fields for the spring and fall seasons. They have different leagues and divisions based on age. These groups were restricted to practicing in the daytime but come to fall, they will have more flexibility in their practice and game times.

Roberson is confident these lights will last for a long time. “They should not need to be replaced anytime soon. These will last for a while,” she said.

Due to the longevity, Roberson believes this is a great investment and will have a positive impact on the soccer program. “This is the first time we have gotten lights for these fields. The kids should be excited about them. This will have a great impact on the soccer program here in Washington.”