Oct. 19 – Voters in four southern Maine towns are about to vote on multimillion-dollar projects including the construction of artificial turf fields, raising questions among community members about the costs and risks of moving away from natural grass.
But proponents of the plans in South Portland, Kittery and Gray-New Gloucester say artificial turf fields are more durable and facility upgrades are needed to meet demand from teams who sometimes struggle to find field time or deal with poor circumstances.
School districts in the region are increasingly switching to synthetic fields, so it is no longer unusual for student athletes to play on that type of turf, said Timothy Matheney, the superintendent in South Portland, where voters are considering a $12 million project to help colleges to review. school athletics complex and install four artificial fields.
“In an ideal world, we would all want to have grass fields at every school in the state of Maine,” he said. “The reality is that it is very expensive to maintain lawns and they cannot dedicate the number of hours to practice and competition that our schools require of them.”
As school officials advocate for the projects, they have faced questions about the costs — especially in South Portland, where many residents saw large property tax increases this year — and whether the turf contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as referred. as always chemicals. A state law that takes effect in 2029 will ban the installation of artificial turf that contains PFAS.
The projects on the Nov. 5 ballot follow a similar project in Cumberland and North Yarmouth, where voters nearly canceled a $53.5 million construction bond because it included an artificial field.
This fall, Kittery residents will vote on an $8 million plan to upgrade the Memorial Field Complex, add more field space and replace the grass on Memorial Field with artificial turf.
In South Portland, voters will consider three referendums on school spending. The largest bond proposal is for $12.3 million to improve the high school athletic stadium complex.
That project would upgrade the 1960s track to competition format, install artificial turf on three playing fields and a marching band field, replace stadium lighting, add restrooms and make other improvements to the complex.
Voters in Gray and New Gloucester, the cities in Maine School Administrative District 15, are considering a $57 million proposal for middle and high school improvements.
If that project is approved, voters also have the opportunity to approve a $702,000 project to install artificial turf on the Gray-New Gloucester High School competition field.
MSAD 15 Superintendent Craig King said planning for the project began in 2017, two years after voters rejected a similar artificial turf proposal. The schools are now “at capacity” in terms of field use, with about 400 students participating in sports each year, he said.
“If we’re going to offer all these activities for students, we really need to do some expansion of the field,” he said.
King said school officials faced “serious questions” from residents about the needs and costs of the overall project and about the safety of artificial turf. The district created a web page with information about the project and scheduled several public meetings, including an Oct. 22 forum with tours.
“From our perspective, it is safe and is used in many fields in Maine,” he said. “There’s still the controversy that comes from safety concerns and potential health risks. We decided instead of telling people what to think, we wanted to give them the opportunity to vote on it.”
CONSIDERING THE COSTS
South Portland school officials planned to submit a proposal to the City Council for consideration in March 2020 after studying the condition of the fields and track and the demand for playing space. The project was put on hold for two years because of the pandemic and recently brought forward because of poor conditions, said Jennifer Ryan, school board president.
Ryan said parts of the track and fields are almost unusable. The track is not regular size and cannot host larger events, and the stadium field barely meets the size requirements for a soccer field, she said. Due to limited space, many teams use fields at the city’s Wainright Recreation Complex.
But the bonds come at a time when many residents are experiencing the enormous shock of higher tax bills following a citywide revaluation of adjusted home values.
Robert Schwartz, who has lived in the city for 70 years, said his property taxes have increased 70%. People in town are concerned about how they will handle those bills, and fear what will happen if there are more school bond increases.
“I’m not saying they don’t need a field and I’m not going to argue whether grass is better than dirt,” he said. “But I think it’s really bad timing. Yeah, maybe they should do something with the field. The bottom line is it’s too close to the big tax increase.”
Ryan acknowledges that the timing “isn’t ideal.”
“I understand that times are tight. It’s a matter of what people are willing to accept and what they are willing to invest in,” she said. “I can understand that this may not feel like a priority to some people, but I hope that many in the community appreciate the value it will bring to the community.”
In Kittery, some residents have expressed similar concerns about the increased burden on taxpayers.
Rob McDowell, who grew up in Kittery, told city council members last month that he thinks sports are great for kids, but said the bond “reflects a champagne craving on a beer income.”
“Do we need Gillette Stadium in Kittery?” he asked.
PFAS CONCERNS
Most of the opposition in Kittery has centered around concerns about PFAS and whether artificial turf fields are safe for students and the environment.
A city committee has spent more than two years investigating the condition of the fields, the demand for playing space and developing the current proposal.
Rich DeMarco, chairman of that committee, said the fields are in poor condition, there are no lights to accommodate night games, and hockey players currently play on a field with part of a baseball diamond. Lacrosse, baseball and football teams are fighting to play on a softball field, he said during a Sept. 9 public hearing. Student-athletes, parents and coaches say there is a pressing need for more field space.
The committee decided to move forward with plans for artificial turf because it provides the utility equivalent of three natural fields, DeMarco told council members. The plan is to use a turf product that is PFAS-free, contains no microplastics and does not use crumbly rubber infill, he said.
“Natural grass just can’t take the beating we give it,” he says.
Jaime Silverstein, leader of Kittery Climate Action Now, was among the residents who gathered for the nearly three-hour meeting to speak out against the use of artificial turf.
“I think playing time is incredibly important, but it comes at too high a cost,” she said.
South Portland Superintendent Matheney has heard similar concerns about PFAS, but is confident the artificial turf product he likes to use is safe for students and the environment because it does not contain PFAS and is recyclable. The filling is made of organic material consisting of sand and small wood pellets, he said.
“We are not going for a product that introduces PFAS into the manufacturing process,” he said. “While we are all concerned about PFAS, I believe there are products in our world that pose much greater dangers than the artificial grass we are investigating.”
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