Sag Harbor Parents Want to Nix Artificial Turf

Concerned that artificial turf fields carry health risks because of the materials they are made of, a pair of Sag Harbor parents launched a petition this week in an attempt to halt the construction of a turf field at Pierson Middle and High School. A donor has stepped forward to offer to redo Pierson’s field with natural grass.

In their argument, Jill Musnicki, a parent of a Sag Harbor Elementary School student, and Diane Hewett, who has one child at the elementary school and one at Pierson, assert that “more questions have arisen regarding the safety of synthetic turf” since the $1.62 million project was approved in a 585-to-507 vote on Nov. 13, 2013. “National sporting teams and health researchers are questioning its safety,” Ms. Musnicki and Ms. Hewett wrote. “Shouldn’t we do the same?”

The petition garnered 70 signatures within 24 hours after its Monday night launch and by Wednesday morning surpassed 160, with dozens of comments in support of axing the turf or at the very least putting the project on hold until more studies can be completed.

The potential donor is the Bridge Golf Club in Bridgehampton. “Certainly, we would be happy to help the community improve their sports field turf quality and playability in an organic fashion,” Gregg Stanley, the club’s certified golf course superintendent, said in an email.

The nonprofit group Healthy Child Healthy World in February reported on its blog that three government agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, had teamed up to launch a study of artificial turf fields. Many use crumb rubber, which is derived from used tires or other scrap rubber. Early concerns include the potential toxicity of the chemicals used in the making of the rubber and the potential for it to heat to high temperatures on hot days.

When the turf field proposition was first floated, neither Ms. Musnicki nor Ms. Hewett supported it. “I do believe people did have good intentions,” Ms. Musnicki said. “A lot of those people have realized maybe it was a mistake.” She has also suggested that a revote on the turf field might be a good idea.

She said her research has suggested that “they’re basically recycling hazardous waste into schoolyards.”

“The concern for someone like me is that they are basically doing this to the whole field, more or less. Dust and particles — you can’t really escape them,” she said. “Other schools that have bigger fields only do part of it where people play their organized sports. . . . At our school, the field is so small and basically that’s the only outdoor space. That’s a big concern. There’s no option.”

East Hampton High School had one turf field installed in 2005 for $1.4 million. It still has a grass playing field and grass practice areas on campus. Joe Vasile-Cozzo, the athletic director, said the district has had “a few rumblings” about the turf field, but that it has really benefited the district. “Scheduling-wise, I rarely cancel games on the turf, so it really helps,” he said. “There are a couple of articles in the paper you see nationally, but we see minimal concerns about it on our end.”

Ms. Hewett and Ms. Musnicki said they would prefer a grass field at Pierson, especially since recent advances in landscape technology have made it possible to more easily maintain such fields.

“The jury is still out on synthetic turf, and until we know all the facts, I do not want our children to be the guinea pigs,” Ms. Hewett said.

Altering the turf field project may prove extremely complicated at this point. The district sold bonds in mid-February to begin financing the project and then opened up the bidding process for companies to submit proposals for the field. The district’s architectural and engineering firm, BBS Architects, is reviewing the bids and is expected to make recommendations to the school board within the next few weeks.

Katy Graves, Sag Harbor’s superintendent, said yesterday that she is still collecting and reviewing the comments sent by residents.

“We’ll do what’s best for children, but a bond anticipation note has been voted on by the community, albeit three years ago,” Ms. Graves said, pointing out that state regulations are very strict when it comes to upholding community votes. “I sent the information to the board of education, but we’re still in another piece of this, which is scrutinizing the bids that have come through. This is a crucial piece. I have to wait for those engineers and architects to weigh in.”