We need the lights to stay on at our local park!

Having a local park to play at is something almost all Americans take for granted. We rarely think of it, but the tax dollars of suburban residents have allowed our kids places to play and be active since we were those kids. Our parks have play equipment, sports facilities and fields, cut grass, clean sidewalks, and, most of the time, lights- because in the wintertime, the sun goes down before 5 o'clock and kids barely have a chance for a pick-up game before dark.

My town is called Rohnert Park, so it should surprise no one that public parks are a defining feature. There is one on every other corner, and I enjoy using them, when there is space, for sports like football, basketball, and wiffleball with my young-adult friends. Most of us are no longer in college and don't yet have the financial heft to afford facilities of our own. We want to play sports, and we appreciate having a place to play.

But... if we can pay for all those things that make our parks great, why can't we have lights on, for everybody to use, until a reasonable time like 9 or 10pm? The cost would not be anything absurd, and it would help young people to something productive outside, playing sports instead of making mischief. I think that any public park with lights should allow them to stay on as long as people want to use them. It could make for a safer community, and definitely a healthier one.