CHESTERLAND, Ohio — For the third year in a row, the former Berkshire Hills Golf Course in Munson Township (who’s mailing address is Chesterland) is offering an impressive drive-through light display featuring nearly two million LED lights.
And while it’s surely bringing smiles to those who pass through the holiday landscape, it’s again triggering complaints from residents who live along Mayfield and Heath roads in Munson Township.
During a Dec. 8 trustees meeting, several residents complained about being caught in traffic and unable to easily get to their driveways.
“You tell me how I can’t be a prisoner if I can’t get out of my house and get back for five hours,” Joe Otto said during the meeting conducted using the Zoom app and posted on YouTube. “I virtually had to back up and force someone to le me into my street and I had to break the law to do it.”
Township officials have told residents the lighting display, called Bethlehem Lights, is a temporary inconvenience and one the sheriff doesn’t consider a major safety concern. (Last year, a resident posted a video online showing an emergency vehicle slowed by a line of cars waiting to get into the golf course.)
Some residents continue to challenge the zoning law under which the golf course obtained a permit for the seasonal display. Resident Joseph Bastulli is suing the township over the zoning law. He scoffed at the suggestion that the disruption is minor and not much different from one posed by the county fair, which lasts only a few days.
“Then we learn that the light show is coming for 38 days,” he said during the public meeting. “I don’t get where you guys are coming from. You were elected to represent the residents of the township. Not the investors who don’t live here.”
3News first reported last year then-golf course operator Walter Miraglia failed to give some proceeds to charities as promised. He's no longer associated with the display.
Current operator Brian Browne said in a statement today to 3News that turnout has been higher than expected this year, attributing the increase to families house-bound by pandemic looking for a safe activity away from home.
Browne says he’s cut back the hours, reduced the number of tickets available each night and is adding an additional sheriff’s deputy to manage traffic.
Browne charges for $25 per car for the mile-and-quarter trip through the golf course. Vehicles with more than eight passengers cost $39. He encourages people to purchase tickets for weekend visits in advance and online.
Bethlehem Lights is not promoting this year that a portion of proceeds will benefit charity, according to its website.
Here is his Browne’s full statement:
We are aware of the traffic backups that have occurred the past 2 Saturdays, and certainly sympathize with residents who live near the light park or are simply trying to get down Mayfield Road.
We had anticipated an increase in park traffic due to the Governor’s current restrictions on other activities, but not the increase that has occurred. Additionally, the curfew enacted by the Governor prior to our opening cut our available hours to be open on Friday and Saturday by 40%, as we now begin closing at around 9:30 to comply with that order, instead of 11:00 pm as in prior years.
As we do not wish to see anyone inconvenienced by our operation, after the backups that occurred on Saturday, 12/5, we reduced the number of available tickets from 1,000 to 800 per night. Sheriff’s deputies also closed the entrance one or two times to allow traffic to flow on Mayfield.
Even with ticket sales limited this past Saturday, backups still occurred, and the entrance was closed at least two times to allow traffic to clear.
After reviewing this on Sunday, and discussions with the Sheriff’s Department, we limited sales to 600 per day maximum, which we reached on Sunday, and had no backups on Mayfield Road.
We also encourage on Facebook and our web site that people attend days other than Friday and Saturday if at all possible. We also added to the calendar on the web site when they purchase tickets the number of tickets still available for their selected date.
While we believe the backup problem has been solved, we have pro-actively added an additional Deputy on duty at Heath and Mayfield and possibly a fourth deputy stationed at the entrance also for this coming Friday and Saturday.
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Editor's Note: The below story aired in December of 2019