[Councilor Craig Kelley's email of 15 March 2013:] FYI, folks: The Committee report is a pretty accurate discussion of what happened at the Committee meeting while the Order expresses the thought that we may want to rethink, partially because of possible decreased use of grass fields once we have more turf and partially because the health impacts of at least some turf surfaces is not entirely settled, what we're planning on turfing before we get so far along in the contract process that changes are not practical. Feel free to come talk about this issue on Monday. Thanks. Craig Committee Report Committee Report #1 NEIGHBORHOOD AND LONG TERM PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS In City Council March 18, 2013 Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair Councillor Kenneth E. Reeves Councillor Minka vanBeuzekom The Neighborhood and Long Term Planning Committee held a public meeting on Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 4:07 PM in the Sullivan Chamber. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the long-term impact of grass versus artificial turf at Danehy Park. Present at the meeting were Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair of the Committee, Councillor Minka vanBeuzekom, Councillor Craig Kelley, Robert W. Healy, City Manager, Richard Rossi, Deputy City Manager, Lisa Peterson, Commissioner of Public Works, Paul Ryder, Recreation Director, Matt Nelson, Chief of Staff to Mayor Davis, Neal Alpert, Aide to Vice Mayor Simmons, Rebecca Rutenberg, Aide to Councillor Cheung and Interim City Clerk Donna P. Lopez. Also present at the meeting were Andrew Farrar, President, Cambridge Youth Soccer (CYS), Susan Ruff, Director, CYS, Phil Fousek, Boys Varsity Soccer Coach, Ryan Tracy and Callum Nelson, Captains, CRLS Soccer, Sandy Gould, Coach and Parent, 23 Fairmont Street, Paul Gregory, CRLS and CYS Coach, John Kernochan, CYS Coach, Tom Rawson, 121 Clay Street, Chris Aufiero, Athletic Director CRLS, Phoebe Reuben, Captain, CRLS Soccer, Janet Goldman, Head Coach, CRLS Girls Soccer, 190 Prospect Street, Brian Conway, Soccer Referee, Bays and Emsoa, Steve Nadis, CYS Coach, 500 Franklin Street, Joseph O'Loughlin, Mike Connolly, 20 Harding Street, Doug Brown, 32 Gurney Street, Rustam Booz, 27 Lawn Street, Seth Teller, 281 Hurley Street, Richard Frierman, 39 Kelley Street, Larry Childs, Friends of Cambridge Athletics, 22 Corporal Burns Road, Sarah Bell, 19 Muller Avenue, Duncan MacArthur, 245 Grove Street, Ellen Aronson, 121 Fayerweather Street, Larry Ward, 372 Broadway, Heather Hoffman, 213 Hurley Street and Carolyn Hoffman, 100 Reed Street. Councillor Cheung opened the meeting and stated the purpose. He stated that concerns about this issue were brought to his attention a few weeks ago, and that it is his desire to get the facts on the table to resolve any remaining requests for information. This hearing is a fact finding mission, as the Parks budget has been adopted and cannot be changed by this committee. City administration will provide background and context about what the decision means, then there will be public comment. The e-mails received will be made part of the record. Deputy City Manager Rossi gave an overview about Danehy Park. Danehy Park was designed in 1980 with a three-year community input process to determine its ultimate use. The city had a lack of a large soccer field and as the design developed, between 4 - 40 feet of landfill cover was added to the park. Danehy Park was capped before regulations were created on capping landfills. Once the capping regulations were developed, the City was given approval by the state to open the park. The need to contain runoff in Danehy Park and allow for slow drainage greatly impacted the use of the Park. Because of the slow drainage the fields will always have a wet condition and be unusable. Although maintenance plans were developed to combat this issue, the soccer fields are constantly run down. It costs $20,000 for the maintenance of four fields and the fields are taken out of service. It is hard to maintain the soccer field because of the constant use. The City was asked to make the site more useable for youth soccer and sports. An architect was consulted and recommended that artificial turf be used as a safer alternative. In 2004 Mayor Sullivan convened a committee of users and City staff to have other fields converted to artificial turf. This was approved by the City Council and the City is ready to go forward. The City is not planning to use artificial surface for the parks across the City; it is not in the financial or capital plans. This achieves the goal of usage; it drains well and is safer. At this time Councillor Cheung opened the meeting to comments by the City Council. Councillor vanBeuzekom stated that as a means of fact finding was a Request For Proposal sent out. Mr. Ryder replied that bids are being reviewed now. Mr. Rossi stated that the City has paid for the design. City Manager Healy stated that there is timeliness for the use of the fields. The work will begin in the spring to be completed by mid July. Public comment began at 4:18 PM on motion of Councillor Cheung. Andrew Farrar, President, Cambridge youth soccer, stated that the quality of athletic fields is not a maintenance issue; it is a usage issue. He submitted a prepared statement(ATTACHMENT A). Sandy Gould, Coach and Parent, 23 Fairmont Street, stated her support for the conversion of grass to turf. Cambridge has a huge number of parks and they do get beat up. Her son played on a turf field at Danehy and she stated that it is easier to play on the field because of the material. It is a huge benefit to families. Kids love to play on the turf. They come and they play longer at the field. This makes for healthier kids. The heat issue can be managed. Phil Fousek, Boys Varsity Soccer Coach, stated that adding turf will allow students to play in bad weather and to have a state-of-the-art soccer field. He submitted a prepared statement (ATTACHMENT B). Ryan Tracy, soccer player, stated that he supports the turf field. The goal is to reach an elite level for soccer and to become a better team. Injuries occur more frequently on the grass fields. With turf, games do not have to be cancelled because of weather. Susan Ruff, Director, CYS, stated her support for the turf fields at Danehy Park. She schedules the playtime on the fields. When Danehy Park is wet it throws a big wrench in the scheduling of games. We need dependable fields. Youth soccer will benefit with two more turf fields. Paul Gregory, CRLS and CYS Coach, stated that he would love the kids to play on smooth grass fields, but there is never any grass on the goal. This does not work. It was a complete waste within one year's time after the fields are maintained. Soccer is a year round activity and grass fields just do not stand up. The only solution, in his opinion, is bare earth. He supports conversion to turf. John Kernochan, CYS Coach, parent and player, stated there is no choice but to put in turf fields. This is not just a soccer issue. This field is a large rectangular field that has a large demand. Fields have been eliminated in the City: 2-3 fields in East Cambridge, l field in Central Square and 2 fields in North Cambridge. Demand for the use of the fields should be estimated and plans developed for how the demand can be accommodated. Fields were lost for conservation. There are only 5-6 full size fields. There is a large demand of sports with a small supply of fields. There is no soccer field in East Cambridge; this should be rectified. He urged the City to invest where more fields can be cited. Northpoint could have room for a field. Tom Rawson, 121 Clay Street, stated that he was surprised about the controversy around this issue. He is a science teacher and he did research - there is not much of an option. His daughter is a soccer player. We do not have grass fields; we have fields that are ½ grass and ½ mud. His research supports the fact that you cannot support the current usage and demand. The right solution for these fields is turf. It is better for players and for the scheduling of the games. Chris Aufiero, Athletic Director, CRLS, stated that he supports turf fields for the following reasons: less injuries, less maintenance of the fields; grass fields are taken out of use for maintenance; less weather related cancellations and turf fields will benefit the two upper schools. Phoebe Reuben, CRLS girl's varsity soccer captain, stated that she favors turf. The overuse of the fields will always be an issue no matter how much they are maintained. There are rocks and sands with grass fields. She felt someone would get hurt playing on the field with unstable grass. Janet Goldman, teacher at CRLS and head CRLS girls' soccer coach, stated that she supports turf for two fields at Danehy. The New England climate is not feasible for playing on grass. The artificial turf has improved. She stated that as a coach she would not let kids play in unsafe conditions regarding heat on turf. Turf fields are here; college fields have turf. She requested that the fields get built in a timely fashion. Brian Conway stated he supports the conversion of the two fields to turf. Referees do not like to work on bad fields. Turf fields are safer than grass. A half-day of rain can ruin the field for the season. More consistency and better player confidence is seen with turf fields. Steve Nadis, Cambridge Youth Soccer coach for seven years, stated that he has run practices on many fields. Fields are used a lot outside of the school and sports system. Magazine Beach has potholes in the fall. He supports turf field conversion at Danehy and he hopes that other fields will be converted. It is not natural to maintain a grass field in New England weather. Joseph O'Loughlin, an assistant baseball coach for five years, spoke about the fields in other communities. Astroturf fields are nicer to play on. Geese do not stay long on turf fields so there are no goose droppings. He favored more fields. Doug Brown, 32 Gurney Street, thanked Mr. Rossi for the new grass field on Huron Avenue. He spoke about the benefits of turf. Heat is less of an issue than the time lost due to rain. He stated that a good grass field costs $45,000 per year. He spoke about usage of Gillette stadium. NFL fields get sodden after each use. A turf field can handle ten times the usage of grass. This relates to ten times more exercise. There is no issue; it is clear what should be done. Rustam Booz, 27 Lawn Street, stated that Cambridge does not have enough green fields to support the demand placed on them. He supports turf fields as outlined in is communication (ATTACHMENT C). Seth Teller, 281 Hurley Street, opposed putting turf on the fields. There are four soccer playing fields. There is a plan to cover 100 percent of soccer fields with turf at a cost of $2 million. This process is flawed; there was no public process. He wishes to play on grass. Turf is harder on the body. Turf is toxic and an incubator for MRSA. He spoke about the current use of the fields and the maintenance. He has requested a freedom of information request on the maintenance of the fields. There is no record of debits being repaired daily. He stated that the City should try less drastic measure - less use and better maintenance. Turf is not cost free. Brushing is required. Should soccer users trump all other users? Turf is tough on the joints of older athletes. He wanted some of the grass kept. He asked for a balanced approach. He requested a compromise - two grass and two turf fields. He submitted his comments (ATTACHMENT D). Mr. Teller also read a communication from Olivier Appaix advocating for a balanced approach. (ATTACHMENT E). Richard Frierman, 39 Kelley Street, former Cambridge Youth Soccer president, stated that his kids played soccer and he spoke about maintenance of the fields. His son plays on field three and though there was evidence of attempts to maintain the field, it was not working. His daughter played in field four and had no problem playing on turf. An injury was sustained in field two due to a rut. He spoke about an opposing team playing on field four. They were blown away playing on turf. This feeling is not the same on field one. He spoke about cancellation due to weather. He requested that fields one, two, and three should be converted. He sent a prepared statement(ATTACHMENT F). Larry Childs, 22 Corporal Burns Road, spoke about heat and the turf. He stated that there are tremendous winter benefits. It is important to have the dialogue of the pros and cons on turf fields. He is strongly in favor of the conversion to turf. He emphasized the fitness benefits for youth and adults. A healthier population will have a lower carbon footprint and there will be a net gain in healthiness. This context needs to be expanded on the issue of health and fitness. Sara Bell, 19 Moller Avenue, stated that she moved to Cambridge because of the green space. She thinks that the turf conversion is a tremendous asset for extended use of the fields. Duncan MacArthur, 245 Grove Street, coach of youth soccer, stated his support for turf fields. The turf helps to develop the skill of the younger athletes. He suggested more turf fields will take the stress off the green fields. He submitted a prepared statement(ATTACHMENT G). Ellen Aronson, 121 Fayerweather Street, stated that she has two daughters who are athletes. She stated that she is opposed to turf fields. The turf fields are hot, harsh, ugly, dirty and have off gases from recycled tires. She spoke about athletes opposed to playing on turf fields. Canadian soccer has refused to go to Vancouver because of the turf field. Playing on a plastic surface in hot weather is not healthy. Massachusetts has had the warmest year on record in 2012 and more natural areas are needed to mitigate. Every aspect of our children's lives does not have to organized and homogenized. She supports a natural green field. She submitted a written statement (ATTACHMENT H). Heather Hoffman, 213 Hurley Street, spoke about no soccer fields in East Cambridge. The availability of soccer fields are on the other side of the City and this effects who plays as kids get older. There is a huge demand for soccer fields. These facilities need to be made more widely available in Cambridge, but the City refuses to buy open space in Cambridge. Carolyn Hoffman, 100 Reed Street, a base soccer rep, stated that turf fields are better. She supported turf fields. The following e-mails were received in support of the conversion to turf fields(ATTACHMENTS I-AA): Chris Matthews, 26 Sixth Street, Vice President, East Cambridge Planning Team; Jocelyn Viterna, 10 Shady Hill Square; Harry Flamm, 71 Standish Street; Jack O'Brien, Director of Athletics, Prospect Hill Academy; Dawn Baxter; John Wakeley; Dennis J. Kelly; Janet Malenfant, 16 Blake Street; Daniel P. Anderson; Geoffrey Swift, 48 Jackson Street; Randall Wilson; Robin Bonner, 15 Corporal Burns Road; Ryan Hammond, 280 Western Avenue; Mary Tavares Sutula, 9 Concord Avenue; Matthew Mazzotta, 140 Lexington Avenue; Barbara Hume, 33 Essex Street; Edward Kuh, Head of School, Fayerweather Street School, 765 Concord Avenue; Abram and Debbie Klein, 20 Stearns Street; and Bob McGaughey, 97 Lakeview Avenue. The following e-mails were received in opposition to the conversion to turf fields(ATTACHMENTS BB-GG): Lucinda Jewell, 15 Channing Street; Leah S. Klein, 83 Reservoir Street; Frank Ackerman and Becky Sarah, 14 Whittier Street; Young Kim, 17 Norris Street; Julie Croston; and Sara Rust, 175 Richdale Avenue. A communication was received from Ronnie Millar, 31 Jackson Street, requesting that a full risk assessment be done on the soil at Danehy Park and a study be done on the impact of installing a turf field over landfill (ATTACHMENT HH). Councillor Cheung stated that he wanted the City to address the issues of injuries, fields being eliminated and chemicals. Deputy City Manager Rossi stated that a world-renowned firm, Camp Dresser and McKee, designed the fields. Aerial photos of Danehy Park were provided(ATTACHMENT II). This firm researched the products used on the fields. The Mass DEP approves anything that is used on Danehy. The drainage is collected and taken to Bellis Circle wetlands and goes back into the ground. There are no bad reports for leaching. Since 1981 the City has added 65-70 acres of parkland. Acres were taken away from the golf course. Several acres of land were created at Lusitania. The City is asking to create seven acres of turf land. Relating to soccer fields in East Cambridge he stated that he proposed a soccer field at Donnelly Park and the community was against the proposal. Greenrose Park was purchased for $2.1 million. Cambridge is the only community that made a deal with DCR to care for Magazine Beach. He stated that in 2000 the City Council passed a regulation to use only natural herbicides to maintain the natural turf. Other communities around Cambridge have tried to mirror Danehy Park; this added 50 acres of land to open space. The City is very committed to open space. He spoke about the budgetary process in the capital plan and the budget on this issue. Councillor Kelley stated that he will defer the judgment to DEP on heat and landfill. He asked if when this is done are we making sure there is testing. Mr. Rossi responded that every truckload of fill at Danehy was tested. The City Council did approve this item in April as part of the capital plan. He is surprised that we are having this discussion. Councillor vanBeuzekom stated that it is always good to have a dialogue. It makes more sense to have something more durable. She wanted a tree canopy around the area, but she does not know if with the capping trees can be planted. Mr. Rossi stated that this analysis has been done and where trees could be planted they were planted. Councillor vanBeuzekom asked if the baseball field could be converted to more use. Mr. Ryder, Recreation Director, stated that there are not a lot of baseball fields and there are not a lot of dual use fields. Mr. Rossi stated that the outfields in Danehy Park are the wettest area. Gore Street and Ahern Field are used for soccer. Councillor vanBeuzekom stated that in the capital budget field four will be converted in 2014. She stated that after having two turf fields, she would like to wait and see before conversion of another field to turf. Mr. Rossi stated that this will be assessed. Councillor vanBeuzekom stated that regarding the heat issue she suggested that the specs state natural green because the lighter the turf color the less it will absorb the heat. She suggested a grey field. Mr. Rossi stated that this question will be asked to see if it will make sense. Mr. Healy stated that the City is ready to award the bid, and the specs cannot be changed to meet the schedule of work to be done. Mr. Farrar commented that the color of turf and infill does not change the heat issue. Councillor vanBeuzekom commented on the issue of maintenance. Mr. Rossi responded that whatever the City does, it can be done better. He rejects the notion that the fields are not maintained. The fields are under city and contract maintenance. The effort is good. Councillor Cheung thanked those present for their attendance. The meeting adjourned at 6:07 PM on motion of Councillor Cheung. For the Committee, Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair Neighborhood and Long Term Planning Committee on View attached file Policy Order Resolution O-9 IN CITY COUNCIL March 18, 2013 COUNCILLOR VANBEUZEKOM WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has huge demands for the use of playing fields throughout the city; and WHEREAS: The natural grass playing fields are difficult to maintain throughout the year and rainy seasons in particular; and WHEREAS: Two playing fields at Danehy Park will be converted to artificial turf in FY13 in order to improve field usability; increase playing time on these artificial turf fields; and potentially reduce burden on other playing fields throughout the city; and WHEREAS: Artificial turf infill is made from recycled tires and this infill material may contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, benzene, benzothiazole and other toxic derivatives that may present a health risk to residents; and WHEREAS: In July 2012, environmental groups requested the US Consumer Products Safety Commission study this issue further; and WHEREAS: The San Francisco and Maryland Chapters of the Sierra Club have called for a ban on toxic substances in play spaces; and WHEREAS: The Precautionary Principle applies to situations in which an action has a "suspected risk" of causing harm to the public or to the environment. In these situations, the guiding principle is to proceed -- as if there is actual harm as opposed to "waiting until harm is shown to exist"; and WHEREAS: It is in the best interest of the Cambridge residents to make decisions using the Precautionary Principle; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the conversion of further soccer fields at Danehy Park to artificial turf be delayed until further study of the impact of artificial turf on player's health be completed and shared with the City Council; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Assistant City Manager for Human Services to confer with the Director of Recreation to prepare a report which quantifies the decreased use of the more fragile grass playing fields throughout the city as a result of the installation of artificial turf playing fields. You can speak for up to three minutes on any topic on the Council's agenda (except Consent Communicatins) at Monday's Council's meeting. 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