The Fremont Union High School District is forced to re-evaluate its plans for nighttime football games at Monta Vista and Lynbrook High Schools. Our campus should not be burdened with opening its stadium as the sole venue for these events, unless the resulting significant and seemingly unavoidable noise impact could be curbed.

On Nov. 30, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Joseph Huber ruled that the districts certification of an environmental impact report did not properly analyze and mitigate the noise that could come from two proposed track and field renovations at both schools. The field improvements underway are funded by the $198 million Measure B school bond passed by voters in June 2008. Our schools track and field likewise stands on school property, mere feet from residential backyards.

Transporting the whopping noise impact from the five to six nighttime home football games per year at both Monta Vista and Lynbrook to our school does not go far enough or show an analytic route to address the noise issues, as ordered by Huber. And who can forget that Monta Vista and Lynbrook have historically held evening sporting events and band practices on our campus?

The best way to address the noise should show a practical method to reduce the noise, which had previously been neglected and served as the primary reason for the courts ruling. Since the school districts board of trustees already voted unanimously in December 2010 to go forward with the extensive renovation projects, its strategy should pinpoint the paramount issue of noise reduction at both campuses.

While addressing the amount of nighttime football games is necessary, a strategy centered on infrequently scheduling or reducing non-football evening events would not reduce noise from a significant to a less than significant level. As the court announced, a new Environmental Impact Report (EIR) must address the noise issue, and the district will need to detail why the solutions would eliminate the noise impacts.

FUHSD Superintendent Polly Bove admirably took initiative by stating that considerations could include new options for public address systems or construction of sound barriers near the property lines.

All along, our goals have been to minimize the impacts on neighbors and to help create an asset for the community with these lovely fields, Bove said.

Although Lynbrook-Monta Vista United, a group consisting of neighbors and concerned residents living near the schools parameters, wielded the right to file the lawsuit against the district and its board of trustees, the unfortunate result was that these noise concerns were dumped into the laps of residents of homes near our school. Lynbrook and Monta Vistas track and field projects did not match the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires EIR proposals of mitigations and alternatives which may reduce or avoid the environmental impacts of public projects. Similarly, frequent games held at our school would adversely affect nearby residents with the insufficiently analyzed noise impact.

It remains unclear how long the district has to find solutions and how the ruling will affect ongoing track and field construction. Both fields are slated for a tentative opening in 2012.

While the court maintains jurisdiction over the matter, the district and Lynbrook-Monta Vista United are not the only parties waiting on the next steps. Our school and the residents of adjoining property are looking forward to a solution to reduce the potential noise in our neighborhood.

Kevin Chu, Copy Editor