Chris Perry Column: Just Because The Board of Health Can, Doesn’t Mean It Should

Not surprisingly, it did not take the Nantucket community long.

With Surfside Crossing silently tied up in the courts and the short-term rental debate seemingly settled at last fall’s Special Town Meeting, I guess it’s just not in our DNA to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet of the offseason. Instead of recharging our minds and spirits for next spring, opposing camps are now fanning the flames for the next community-wide kerfuffle, and like the present condition of the Vito Capizzo Stadium field, this "Battle of the Turf" could get ugly.

To put this field debate into context, a good starting point would be 2011, when plans to build the Nantucket Intermediate School included discussions about a turf field upgrade for Vito Capizzo Stadium.

“I pushed strongly to get the football field replaced ”, said former Nantucket Public Schools athletic director Chris Maury, who served in that role from 2008 through 2020.

“As we moved through the process and the administration prepared to bring the plan to Town Meeting around 2015, people were concerned about the additional funding," offered the former AD, reflecting back on the process. "Ultimately, the stadium field upgrades were pulled from the master plan. Even back then, the only way you were going to improve the situation was to install a synthetic field, and I think it is fair to say that the decision not to include the upgrades has haunted the athletic program and the Nantucket community to this day."

Since then, as the playing fields have continued to deteriorate to the point of becoming dangerous for student athletes to play on, synthetic options have become more universally accepted as a safe alternative, summed up best by the former AD who said: “There’s a reason all these towns, high schools, universities and colleges around the country are installing turf fields…”

Recently, the members of the Nantucket School Committee again took up the turf field debate, urged on by parents, students, coaches, alumni, and independent experts. To its credit, the School Committee reversed direction and overwhelmingly endorsed a synthetic turf field plan with the hopes that the project would be put in front of Nantucket voters at Town Meeting on May 8th.

This was not an easy decision. The School Committee experienced a teachable moment by simply listening to its constituency, whose vast majority spoke in favor of the synthetic turf plan at a recent School Committee meeting. In addition to the turf field and new track, the proposal smartly included upgrades to the grandstands and press box, improvements to team rooms, the Booster Club building and bathrooms, ADA compliance, and dark sky lighting. Moreover, instead of being swayed by mission-driven advocacy groups such as P.E.E.R. (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibilities), which often rely on outdated information, the School Committee took into consideration science and expert analysis by independent specialists from Weston & Sampson, who commented favorably on the proposed turf project.

So, what’s the problem?

The problem is that the Nantucket Board of Health has decided to flex its muscle.

Don’t get me wrong, the Board of Health has the statutory responsibility to protect public health and the environment, but what prompted them to publicly float the idea of a permanent ban on all future synthetic fields only after the School Committee’s recent vote?

Did the Board of Health feel emboldened after a member of Nantucket’s Land & Water Council encouraged the Board to “circumvent” the School Committee’s independent authority and suggest they ban all future synthetic turf fields?

Was the Board of Health influenced by a sitting member who had vociferously argued against any and all synthetic field proposals throughout the review process, only to be frustrated by the School Committee’s vote?

So why now?

Shouldn’t the Board of Health be prioritizing gross noncompliance and health risks instead of targeting a desperately needed synthetic turf field plan endorsed by the School Committee?

And what’s next?

Will the Board of Health be shutting down Miacomet Golf Club because golfers hit off plastic mats on the driving range?

The Board of Health’s recent decision to take up the matter is a head-scratcher and it is worth further scrutiny. If their concern is PFAS, why would the Board of Health be silent on roof shingles, paints, vinyl flooring, and playground materials all tainted with PFAS and easily found on the public school campus? Yet they rise at this curious time to potentially ban all new synthetic playing fields despite the fact that the School Committee’s proposed synthetic surface - tested by Weston & Sampson - has “no detectable PFAS”.

At the very least, this highly unusual response by the Board of Health needs an explanation. The possibility of the board having a “workshop” on the matter does not calm the fears that the public has over this maneuver. If concerned citizens are brushed aside and unable to openly discuss the matter until the public is invited to attend a meeting in March, the delay will only open the door for more misinformation, which Nantucket is infamously known for. No one wants to see the same polarizing effect on the Nantucket community that took place during the volatile debates surrounding Surfside Crossing and short-term rentals. Those scars are still visible today. So beware, as we seem to be on the same path.

At a recent School Committee meeting, the conversation was lively. After listening to the debate, I sensed some of those who opposed the plan were simply hellbent on derailing any type of synthetic field proposal, regardless of the impact on the community. Whether hailing from South Carolina or residing locally, it appeared some of the opposition ostensibly thrived on the fight versus listening to the facts, which only galvanized the majority who spoke in favor of the proposal.

The School Committee responded.

With their 4-1 vote in favor of the synthetic field plan, they are sending a clear message that this proposal should be placed on the Town Meeting warrant in May. As the lone dissenting vote, I respect Dr. Lepore’s consistency as a steadfast “No” on this subject. However, this is not 1966, and the Houston Astrodome with AstroTurf. This is a thoroughly vetted proposal for the entire community aimed to help bring competitive balance to the Nantucket Public School system, and similar to others installed in Barnstable, Harwich, and Bourne, whose fields were built over sole-source aquifers.

As they say, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. And with the synthetic turf field proposal apparently in the hands of the Board of Health, I believe the Board of Health should stay in its lane. While no final decision has been made, the members of the Board of Health have opened Pandora’s box by floating the idea of a permanent ban on all future synthetic fields, and now they owe the community an explanation, especially to the youth of Nantucket, who will be watching intently, knowing they represent the largest constituency impacted by this decision.

Like many of you, I spent most of last Sunday celebrating the Pats' win over Houston. Watching the Patriots flip a 3-14 record to a 14-3 record over the course of the year has been remarkable. As I watched the players congratulating each other immediately after the game at Gillette Stadium, I couldn’t help but acknowledge the fact that it was being done on a synthetic turf field built over a sole-source aquifer, and it made me wonder…

If Bob Kraft can do that for his New England Patriots, why can’t we do it for our Nantucket Whalers?