Due Diligence Needed To Evaluate Turf Fields Proposal

To the editor: After listening to three nights of discussion (School Committee, Select Board, Board of Health) about the proposed artificial turf fields for the high school, along with testimony from the young athletes who have been injured, one could not come to any other conclusion than that school administration has failed to provide the maintenance necessary to prevent these incidents. Is that a justifiable basis for introducing artificial turf to these fields (when there is actually pending legislation at the State House to ban it), given all the potential consequences of their installation for greater injury and the introduction of toxic materials into our water supply?

The discussions before the Board of Health tonight were informative. This is not just about sports and games (and it isn’t even about the cost), it’s about the safety and lifelong health of the community’s young people, not to mention our own.

This discussion needs to continue and due diligence needs to be performed.

Charity Benz