Sports teams playing day and night have been taking a toll on those who live near the FIFA-grade field at St. Patrick’s Catholic Secondary School.

Just south of the new turf surface is a 15-foot wide lane that abuts a row of townhouses where Benjamin and Christine Stein have lived since 2005.

Like several neighbours, Ben and Christine, who has fibromyalgia, a chronic disease that causes pain and fatigue, say they’ve been negatively affected by noise and other disturbances from the field, which was refurbished and reopened in November 2017.

“All of a sudden there were three teams on the field in one night, screaming their heads off. … Our bedtimes are now effectively dictated by the hours of play on the field. There was trespassing, property damage and people drinking in the parking lot. It was crazy,” Benjamin said.

“Last summer we couldn’t open up our windows (because of the noise). We ran our air conditioning all summer,” added Christine.

The conflict has now landed in court.

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A noise complaint against 49 Felstead Ave. was heard before court on May 6. The defendant, the Toronto Catholic District School Board, did not enter a plea. The next court date is set for June 3.

Toronto’s Municipal Licensing and Standards is aware of the situation and invited eight local families, including the Steins, to keep sound logs.

“I’m hoping everybody has had a wake-up call and they’ll try to work more co-operatively with their neighbours. I think all public institutions need to be good neighbours,” said local Councillor Paula Fletcher (Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth), who did a site visit one evening and experienced first-hand some of the concerns neighbours were expressing.

“I heard it all. The neighbours hear it all the time. I’m hoping this court case prompts (the school board) to deal a little more effectively with the issues that have arisen.”

The Catholic board commented on the matter in an email.

“The TCDSB is aware of the ongoing concerns of the neighbours. While the matter is currently before the courts, we continue to work with the City and the after-school hours operator of the playing field in the hope of finding a mutually acceptable resolution for all involved.” Ward 11, East York/Toronto, TCDSB trustee Angela Kennedy declined to comment since the “matter is before the courts.”

Students from St. Pat’s, which is near Danforth and Greenwood Aves., use the field on weekdays and after school. A private company, Razor Management Inc., has a contract to rent out the synthetic turf surface after hours. Razor Management Inc. did not respond to a request for comment before publication deadline.

“Razor says they made efforts to mitigate sound and disruptions, but we feel it’s nominal,” said Benjamin Stein, who has sent dozens of emails to local politicians and trustees about his concerns.

He said his last straw was the morning of April 21, when players were “yelling and kicking balls at 7:30 a.m.”

Jean-François Pagé, a father of two young children, said everyone who lives by the field understands there will be some inconveniences, but said they must be within reason.

“We all realize we purchased a home next to a school and for the most part we’re happy about the new field because we have access to it,” said Pagé, who said his concerns lie in the fact there are “100 to 120 players on the field every night.”

“I also didn’t sign up for tailgating and stadium lighting,” he added.

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Because of the noise, Pagé moved his toddler’s bedroom to another part of his house. He’d like teams to stop playing on the field at 8 p.m.

Like the Steins, Pagé said he tried unsuccessfully to communicate his concerns with the school board. He even tried contacting the school directly.

Fletcher said she’s “disappointed in the response” from the school board when it comes to addressing residents’ concerns about excessive noise, stadium lights shining into their homes, loud swearing and jarring whistles as well as play on the field from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m.

“Normally, (the board) would be working hard to deal with the issues neighbours are talking about. The field is right next to homes,” she said.