--------------------
- To thoughtfully and with appropriate vision, build a capital improvement program that would offer the city’s residents modern, useable, maintainable and sustainable park and recreational facilities.
- To provide sufficient facilities for all athletic programs, inclusive of practices and games, now and in the future, as appropriate to each such athletic program. This would include fields of appropriate size, markings and conditions, with reasonable availability for the various seasons needed.
- Lawrence School – natural turf renovation of the multi-use and softball fields.
- Moody School – natural turf renovation of the baseball ball and 1 softball field. Installation of artificial turf for the rectangular field and the 2nd softball field that will add an “overlay” rectangular field. Both artificial turf fields are lighted with existing field lights.
- Snow School – natural turf renovation of all existing fields.
- Wesley School – natural turf renovation of all existing fields.
- Woodrow Wilson & Pat Kidney - installation of artificial turf fields for Pat Kidney and Woodrow Wilson, to accommodate baseball, softball and a rectangular “overlay” field at Pat Kidney and a rectangular multi-use field at Woodrow Wilson. All fields would be lighted.
- Hubbard Park – installation of artificial turf on both baseball fields.
- Smith Park – natural turf renovation of the baseball and rectangular fields.
- Country Club Road Complex – natural turf renovation of 1 field and artificial turf installation at two rectangular fields.
- Long Hill Road Complex – natural turf renovation of the two existing fields.
- McCutcheon Park – natural turf renovation of the existing baseball, softball and rectangular “overlay” fields
- Letter from The Commonwealth of Massachusetts to Health Department of Town of Medway MA, March 2015 – “…the scientific literature continues to suggest that exposure opportunities to artificial turf fields are not generally expected to result in health effects. Testing results on the crumb rubber infill indicated lead content less than CPSIA statutory limits established for children’s products. For the turf fibers, APT provided a statement that this material did not have lead used in its manufacture, but no additional documentation was provided…With respect to cancer concerns reported in the media stories, it is important to note that the reports of cancers were of a wide variety of different types, each with its own set of risk factors.” The letter does recommend some common sense best practices to minimize any potential exposure including the washing of hands after each event. This kind of recommendation would be the same for natural turf fields.
- State of Connecticut DEEP, Result of State Artificial Turf Fields Study: No Elevated Health Risk, July 2010 – “A new study of artificial turf fields containing crumb rubber infill conducted by four state agencies shows that health risks are not elevated from playing on the fields…The four state agencies, the University of Connecticut Health Center, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, the Department of Public Health and the Department of Environmental Protection evaluated the health and environmental impacts associated with artificial turf fields containing crumb rubber infill. Overall, approximately 200 chemicals were tested at each field.”
- Artificial Turf Study, Leachate and Stormwater Characteristics, Department of Environmental Protection, July 2010 – “The DEP concludes that there is a potential risk to surface waters and aquatic organisms associated with the whole effluent and zinc toxicity of stormwater runoff from artificial turf fields…the study did not identify any significant risks to groundwater protection criteria in the stormwater runoff from artificial turf fields.” To mitigate any risks associated with runoff water, the report offers suggested measures to reduce zinc concentrations.
- A Scoping-Level Field Monitoring Study of Synthetic Turf Fields and Playgrounds, United States Environmental Protection Agency, November 2009 – “…All Particulate Matter (“PM10”) air concentrations were well below National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM10. All concentrations for lead were well below the NAAQS for lead…The average extractable lead concentrations for turf blade, tire crumb infill, and tire crumb rubber were low. Although there are no standards for lead in recycled tire material or synthetic turf, average concentrations were well below the EPA standard for lead in soil...Likewise the average extractable lead concentrations for turf field wipe samples were low. Although there are no directly comparable standards, average concentrations were well below EPA standards for lead in residential floor dust.”
- EHS Circular Letter #2015-02, Re: Recent News Concerning Artificial Turf Fields, State of Connecticut Department of Public Health, January 20, 2015 – “Various media outlets have continued to run this story and a number of local health departments have inquired as to its validity. Since many Connecticut towns have installed or are considering artificial turf fields an elevated cancer risk would be an important consideration. However, this news story is still based upon very preliminary information and does not change CTDPH’s position that outdoor artificial turf fields do not represent an elevated health risk…The Connecticut Department of Public Health has evaluated the potential exposures and risks from athletic use of artificial turf fields. Our study of 5 fields in Connecticut in 2010-2011 was a comprehensive investigation of releases from the fields during active play. This study was conducted as a joint project with the CT DEEP and the University of CT Health Center and was peer-reviewed by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. Our study did not find a large amount of vapor or particle release from the fields confirming prior reports from Europe and the US. We put these exposures into a public health context by performing a risk assessment. Our risk assessment did not find elevated cancer risk…The Connecticut Department of Public Health has evaluated the potential exposures and risks from athletic use of artificial turf fields. Our study of 5 fields in Connecticut in 2010-2011 was a comprehensive investigation of releases from the fields during active play. This study was conducted as a joint project with the CT DEEP and the University of CT Health Center and was peer-reviewed by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. Our study did not find a large amount of vapor or particle release from the fields confirming prior reports from Europe and the US. We put these exposures into a public health context by performing a risk assessment. Our risk assessment did not find elevated cancer risk…Our risk assessment did cover carcinogens that are known to be in recycled tires and the crumb rubber used to cushion fields. Once again, we found there to be very little exposure of any substances, carcinogenic or not, in the vapors and dust that these fields generate under active use, summer conditions. Background levels of chemicals in urban and suburban air from heating sources and automobile traffic are much more significant sources of airborne carcinogens. The fact that we sampled 5 fields (4 outdoor and 1 indoor) of different ages and composition suggests that the results can be generalized to other fields, a conclusion supported by the fact that results were similar to what was found in California, USEPA and European studies.. Our study did not evaluate ingestion of the crumb rubber itself as players are unlikely to ingest an entire rubber pellet. However, two studies, one in California and one at Rutgers University did evaluate the cancer risk if children ingested a mouthable chunk of playground rubber (10 gram), using laboratory extraction methods to estimate the amount of chemicals that might become available in the stomach and absorbed into the body. Both studies found very low cancer risk from this scenario (Cal OEHHA 2007; Pavilonis et al. 2014). Thus, CT DPH finds no scientific support for a finding of elevated cancer risk from inhalation or ingestion of chemicals derived from recycled tires used on artificial turf fields. US EPA has a similar position: “At this point, EPA does not believe that the field monitoring data collected provides evidence of an elevated health risk resulting from the use of recycled tire crumb in playgrounds or in synthetic turf athletic fields.” “In summary, federal and state authorities have taken seriously the concerns that artificial turf fields may present a health risk due to contaminants in recycled rubber. The best way to investigate these concerns is via an exposure investigation. Studies conducted in Connecticut and elsewhere have shown a very low exposure potential, less than from typical outdoor sources of air pollution. The current news reports of a list of soccer players with cancer does not constitute a correlation or causality and thus raises a concern that currently lacks scientific support. Thus, the CT DPH position expressed in 2011 at the conclusion of the Connecticut study, that outdoor artificial turf fields do not represent an elevated health risk, remains unchanged.”
I guess you can get as many pro-artificial turf reports as you can con. Put that aside, and there still is the issue of increased injuries to players as well as maintenance costs. The initial cost of constructing of an artificial turf field will negate any perceived savings related to maintenance. The maintenance cost difference of artificial versus natural turf is between $5-$8 thousand per field/per year. The City already has all the equipment and knowledge for the upkeep of natural fields. What is lacking is proper budget funding and the number of department personnel needed to do a proper job.
ReplyDeleteNo matter if every field was artificial turf, the current work force would be concentrating all their efforts on the upkeep of athletic fields. Nothing else would receive any attention or funding, as currently occurs.
Several years ago, the City was sold a bill of goods that all youth soccer needed was to have the taxpayers chip in for the fields at Country Club and Longhill Roads and they would use very few City fields. What happened?
I don't know if it still is the case, but both soccer and little league did not want to use certain fields on a regular basis because they were too far from the center of town, or in the center of town. We also had game fields and practice fields policy (list), which helped out immensely for improvement to all game fields...for a while. Then both leagues would ignore the policy, and complain about field conditions.
How can the City pay for an increase in materials and personnel for the Parks Division? Well, our city fathers are bonding everything now a days, so if they leave the extra $10 million dollars in the current bond for natural turf, they could use that money for the Parks Division....only!
You say that is illegal or unethical? Not really. In road bonds the City pays for the Public Works Departments overtime for curbing and backfilling, catch basins, etc., from the bond. So there is precedent to follow.
Here's a novel idea. How about curtailing the number of bodies who play in the leagues, and match them to a schedule which is conducive to the number of fields available. Something has to give. The City doesn't have additional land to build more fields on, and the locations of many of the sites our fields are currently on belong either to the State of Connecticut or Board of Education.
The only pro-artificial turf comment I agree with is that if it rains, you can play on the field immediately. If that is the only concern, that's a high price the taxpayer is being asked to pay for a few rain dates that are already incorporated into all athletic schedules.
Just a thought!
I found this is an informative and interesting post so i think so it is very useful and knowledgeable. I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article ..
ReplyDeleteSeattle artificial grass installation company
We are very fortunate to have contributors such as Darrel Ponzio and John Milardo.
Delete