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| Town Administrator Jeff Nutting and Deputy Administrator Jamie Hellen |
A. Turf Fields design and development funds
B. Google Doc’s
C. E-Permitting Software for the Town Clerk’s Office
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| the crumb rubber fill will be one of the considerations for the turf field replacements |
"Residents voted to reject a proposed three-year moratorium on artificial turf during a standing vote at a Special Town Meeting Thursday night.
However, voters accepted a motion for a different article that officials said could help address some of the concerns that the moratorium sought to ease.
Article One, which asked the town to adopt a three-year moratorium on “the engineering, planning, construction or installation of any synthetic turf,” or loose crumb-rubber infill. Filed as a citizen’s petition, it would not have affected existing fields or turf used on private property. Proponents said chemicals used in crumb rubber — or recycled tire pieces — can pose potential health risks.
The public accepted Article Two, which sought the approval of $450,000 of Community Preservation funds to be used for playground renovations and enhancements — including handicap accessibility — at local parks, according to the warrant."
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| the new artificial turf field at FHS has good softness with its new infill although it is crumb rubber and is controversial |
The Crowdsourcing Citizen Science to Protect Bees free program will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 18 at Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, 108 North St., Norfolk.
The health and diversity of native bumblebees, which pollinate New England crops and flowers, will be the topic of a program.
The speaker, Robert Gegear, of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, studies how bumblebees react to challenges in their habitat and how citizens can play a role in conservation and restoration of pollinators.
Voters will decide on June 9 whether to adopt a three-year moratorium on artificial turf fields that use crumb rubber infill due to a resident petition that gathered enough signatures to call a Special Town Meeting.
The date was set at the Board of Selectmen’s Monday meeting after a length conversation about the timing of the petition – just as town officials have started planning the improvement of several parks and recreational areas in town.
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| the new plush crumb rubber infill field at Franklin High School |
The Board of Health is considering a moratorium on turf fields using crumb rubber infill, but will reportedly let residents decide at the ballot box or Town Meeting.
Board member Jordan Warnick said Tuesday that the board is looking for input on the matter, but will not take matters into its own hands.
“I think all of us are in agreement that we should not be the individuals who decide on that at the current understanding of issues related to crumb rubber infill,” he said
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| crumb rubber mostly gone from the Beaver St field in Franklin |
Dean College will host the Dean Dash 5K at noon April 23 at the college campus.The course will start and end at Awpie Way, directly outside of Dean Hall at the Dean College campus, 99 Main St.
The race will begin promptly at noon for competitors to take a 3.16-mile run, jog or walk through the residential streets of Franklin. A hydration station will be waiting for participants at the 2-mile mark and a post-race lunch will welcome runners back as they cross the finish line.
Live music, lawn games, face painting and a bounce house will take place after the 5K.
Registration will cost $5 for Dean College students and ages 11 and younger; $10 for faculty, staff and alumni; and $15 for community members. Price includes a race T-shirt, race bib, drawstring bag souvenir, lunch and hydration station.
For information and to register: dean.edu/deandash.
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| photo of Beaver St field conditions |
It is a test to measure the Surface hardness and applies to natural grass and synthetic turf.
GMAX is important because of the increased potential of concussions and other injuries cause by impact on a hard surface.
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| installation of the new turf field at FHS during the summer (field is in full use now) |
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| image of the letter sent |
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| installation of the new turf field at FHS during the summer (field is in full use now) |
"the letter also says, “Regarding the Town of Medway Board of Health’s reference to a review study of crumb rubber, in 2013, CPSC staff informed PEER that our Office of Compliance wold undertake a review and determine whether any enforcement action was appropriate regarding the issue. Upon further exploration, Compliance staff concluded, at that time, specific product enforcement was unlikely to be the best option, based upon the need for individual health assessments.”
So what the agency said in 2008 doesn’t mean artificial turf is safe. But the CPSC also won’t say that turf is not safe. And they don’t have, nor are they likely to ever have, enough information to rule on the safety of artificial turf.
The House and Senate need answers."
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| new crumb rubber artificial turf field at Franklin High School |
A new field was installed at Franklin High School with crumb rubber. There are two additional fields being budgeted for an update in the next couple of years. If there is enough interest, then perhaps the crumb rubber on those two (Beaver Pond and Pisani Field) could be updated with a safer mix than crumb rubber.
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| photo from August 2015 during the installation of the field which is now complete and being used regularly |
Being mindful of hidden curriculum. http://t.co/DjbfNgWr3Z #YourEdustory #middleschool @WildemanBrian @KYankeeDHS
— Jim d'Entremont (@Jim_dEntremont) September 24, 2015
Via @washingtonpost Artificial turf gets a closer look after report raises safety concerns http://t.co/YJDpudthMl @FranklinMatters @jeffroy
— Turf Grass Forum (@turfgrassforum) September 23, 2015
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| Kyle and Luke Florio |
Check it out! I donated to Kyle and Luke Florio https://t.co/6Zy8B0OIOq
— FranklinChargers (@FranklinCharger) September 24, 2015
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| turf field retaining wall |
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| turf field perspective |
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| turf field sidelines |
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| stone dust being laid out |
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| with back to the school, another view of the stone dust work |
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| with back to the school, more of an angle shot across the field |
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| with back to the school, close up along the end line |
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| bleacher position for baseball field |
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| bleachers for baseball |
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| access to fields |
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| tennis courts, appears to be room for 4 sets |
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| tennis courts, another view |
MUST WATCH: Are We Treating Women Athletes Like Guinea Pigs? http://t.co/vUr3umgrRX #toxicturf #WWC2015 @FranklinMatters @hhsboyslacrosse
— Turf Grass Forum (@turfgrassforum) June 28, 2015
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| https://twitter.com/turfgrassforum |
OPEN INVITE @LaurenWBZ @BramBerkoWL @EagleTrib @EagleEyeMoser @EagleSportsZone @BEediteditor @ZComeau_MDN pic.twitter.com/Fd1lmchcK8
— Turf Grass Forum (@turfgrassforum) June 19, 2015
Patti Wood, Executive Director of non-profit Grassroots Environmental Education and visiting scholar at Adelphi University explains how synthetic turf and its components can affect children's health. This video is adapted from a presentation given in Ramapo, New York on May 14, 2015. More information on synthetic turf is available at the Grassroots website, GrassrootsInfo.org.
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| grassroots info webpage |
Via @HuffPostPol: The movement against #syntheticturf is growing http://t.co/1PgScDgsET @SHPFC @FranklinMatters @jeffroy @KarenSpilka
— Turf Grass Forum (@turfgrassforum) May 10, 2015
As opposition mounts, some consider the fields a solid waste problem, and question what towns would do with the thousands of pounds of crushed tires if the issue reaches a tipping point. The momentum of concern has pushed the California legislature to consider legislation prohibiting the use of state funds to build new fields with recycled tires and that would require towns and cities to examine cleaner alternatives before launching a new project. The Los Angeles Unified School District and the New York City Parks Departments already have stopped construction of new fields with crumb rubber following past concern about lead content.
Artificial turf advocates say there are multiple studies that show fields are safe, while critics argue that there are no conclusive tests to prove such claims and that waiting for definitive evidence of a health hazard leaves children unprotected.
More than 300 such fields have been built in Massachusetts during the past decade and they are becoming a coveted sports alternative for student athletes in towns from Boston to Attleboro, New Bedford to Springfield, according to a survey of field construction companies carried out by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting. Athletes who play on the fields are well acquainted with the black pellets – a spray of which is often kicked up by bouncing balls and running children, and gets into cleats and tracked into homes and mixed with laundry after practice.
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| FHS girls soccer team kicks off a home game on the turf field at FHS in October |
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The principal information the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission uses to assess the health effects of synthetic turf is supplied by industry lobbyists, according to internal records released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Emails and other records obtained by PEER in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit detail how these lobbyists are allowed closed-door briefings and other direct contacts with key CPSC staff assigned to investigate their products.
In response to a PEER filing, the CPSC declared on September 27, 2013 that it had ordered its Office of Compliance and Field Operations to undertake a “review and determination of whether any enforcement action is appropriate” for artificial turf playgrounds containing lead at levels well above legal limits for a children’s product. More than a year later, CPSC would not answer requests for information about the status of that enforcement review. In February of this year, PEER filed a FOIA lawsuit.
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#dangerous #fields tonight at 11PM on @cbsboston investigates #crumbrubber infill on #syntheticturf CC: @FranklinMatters @jeffroy
— Turf Grass Forum (@turfgrassforum) March 19, 2015
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| screen grab of CBS Boston video report on health concerns with artificial turf fields |