Town recreation fields are about to get a little bit brighter thanks to the recent purchase of light towers. The installation of what is described as a portable lighting system will help increase available practice and game space.

According to Parks and Recreation Department Director Rick Maynard, portable lighting systems can be cost-prohibitive, but used lighting towers made the purchase possible at a fraction of the cost.

“These are used ones. They were under $40,000 versus four $400,000, so it was kind of a no-brainer on this,” Maynard said.

Before making the purchase, Maynard said he consulted with the Guilford Fire Department (GFD) for more information.

“I spoke to our fire chief because they [GFD] have lights, and I asked him about new versus used, and he said you can get a lot of years out of used lights,” said Maynard. “We checked them out, and they were all in good shape, so it seemed like the best choice.

Maynard said the equipment will have several benefits for the teams needing lighting.

“The beauty of portable light towers is, obviously, that we can use them anywhere. The request came from Guilford Youth Football, and where they practice is at Long Hill Park. They were renting eight towers, and I believe their costs was going to go up to $10,000, which for them is very expensive,” said Maynard. “So, when we looked into what we could do, as far as a permanent lighting system, we found that the cost for that was going to be somewhere around $400,000 to $500,000 for permanent lights. So, looking at it, we only need light for the fall. In general, the rest of the year is light enough out to hold practices, but their practices start at 4 or 5 p.m., so they really needed lights for their practices.”

According to Maynard, the towers are easily transportable via department vehicles, allowing spot placement for particular events or evenings where the lights are needed.

“If we needed them, let’s say, for an event at Jacobs Beach, we can just bring them down there. If we wanted to have a nighttime pickleball tournament, we could bring them up to Bittner Park. So, the flexibility was really attractive to the Parks and Rec Commission, and that’s why we decided to go that way,” Maynard said. “It can supplement lighting for any event. If we need lighting, we can do it now. We can tow them with a pickup truck.”

Football, baseball, field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer all compete for fields and, especially with the change of seasons, extending available time for even a few hours can make a huge difference for teams, Maynard said.

“It really is a win-win for everyone because it’s a win for youth football, and it’s a win-win for us in two ways: the cost, which is very manageable for us. And then also the flexibility that allows us to use them in different places,” Maynard said. “It made a lot of sense to go in this direction.”