<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over the weekend of April 2nd, my friends and I were looking for something to do, and we were surprised by how little we could come up with. We wanted to go and do something active because the weather was getting nice again, but we were frustrated that our usual go-to facilities close earlier on weekends. We wanted to play basketball or throw a frisbee around somewhere like Recreation Park, the Elk Grove Pavilion, Recplex or Melas, but since they all close before 10 PM, we ended up driving around Arlington Heights and Mt. Prospect for an hour and a half looking for something active to do before we finally gave up and went home. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This lack of access to facilities has become a rising issue, especially as the weather gets warmer, and it can contribute to loitering, aimlessly driving around, and drugs or drinking among adolescents. During the summer of 2015, juniors and seniors played baseball, football, spikeball, frisbee, and more by the baseball fields at Lions Park when the lights were on for park district games. Lions Park was one of the only places large enough for kids to stay active late at night., and when the the lights shut off around 10 or 10:30, we had nowhere to go. I believe that this facility helped provide a safe and clean environment for some of the night to a large community. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is why I am presenting my idea to provide a similar situation without some of the problems that arose at Lions Park. I realize that one of the biggest problems with large flood lights late at night is neighboring houses. I am sure that those living close to Lions Park would not be happy if lights flooded their house until midnight. This is why I believe that keeping the lights on at Melas would be a perfect solution. There are no houses in the immediate area that would be affected by floodlights. If the lights directly west of the playground and parking lot at Melas could be accessed and turned on until a reasonable hour such as 11 PM or 12 AM, 17 and 18 year olds would once again have a healthy way to spend their nights. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Those who have signed are people who believe that leaving the lights on at Melas would be a benefit to the community.</span></p><p><br /><br /><br /></p>
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