About a dozen residents urged the Glen Ellyn Park District Board of Commissioners to rethink a $1 million plan for an artificial turf field at Newton Park this summer. The proposal was reconfirmed by board members two weeks ago.
However, the residents said they would continue to attempt to stop installation of the artificial turf, and would not rule out litigation to prevent it.
During the meeting Tuesday night, residents stressed environmental and health concerns as the primary reasons for opposing the installation of the artificial turf. They also criticized the Park District for what they deemed a lack of communication with residents about the plan. They presented the board with a petition signed by about 40 area homeowners urging the use of natural grass on the field rather than turf, which is made from recycled tires.
Nancy Perlman, who lives across from the park, criticized the board for not contacting residents who live near it. Perlman said residents only learned about the board’s plan a few days before a meeting discussing it. The district already had broken ground on the renovations.
“Where was the communication?” she demanded.
Board members told Perlman and other concerned residents the district has been discussing the renovations to the field for almost two years. Executive Director Dave Harris said the board discussed the proposed renovations in at least a dozen different meetings.
The board opted to install artificial turf, he said, to prolong the time the field can be used for organized sports.
Natural turf only is usable for about 30 days of use each year because of the rough treatment the field could sustain after three straight football games on a Saturday afternoon, Harris said. After each day of use, the field would need repairing before it could be safely used again.
Harris said artificial turf will allow the field to be used about 200 days a year, which means the field will be available to host more sporting events, including field hockey, soccer and lacrosse.
Board President Julia Nephew reminded Perlman and the other concerned residents that the board already has approved the installation of artificial turf at the field and that materials have been purchased. Landscaping crews are scheduled to finish removing the grass and preparing the ground by late June. The synthetic turf will be installed shortly after, with the project wrapping up in early July.
Still, that didn’t deter the residents who expressed their concerns about the components that will make up the turf, some of which they said are carcinogenic. Perlman asked the board if they had researched the long-term effects of playing on artificial turf in relation to cases of cancer.
Mike Durschmid equated installing the artificial turf to creating a toxic dump at Newton Park. The recycled tires, he said, are “full of toxins” that will leech out into the soil and have a negative impact on the local environment. Durschmid said his research shows that the number of ground up tires needed to make enough artificial turf to cover the 1.5 acre area is between 20,000 and 40,000 tires.
“Do we really want our kids playing on that,” he asked?
Despite protests, board members emphasized that a decision already has been made. Board member Gary Mayo said the board could have done a better job communicating the proposal, but they didn’t think the idea was controversial.
“Based on the fact there are thousands of these fields across the country and hundreds in the Chicago area … it was the right thing for the Park District to do,” Mayo said.
Keown is a freelance reporter for baiduhai.
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