New study looks positive for artificial turf
Posted on Friday, August 1, 2008
BENTONVILLE - The Bentonville Parks and Recreation Department is closing in on new turf at seven of the city's soccer fields - and results from a recent study on artificial turf has made the city more than prepared to make the change.
In May, Parks and Recreation director Doug Glaysher went before the Bentonville City Council to discuss proposal to replace the grass on seven of the practice soccer fields at Memorial Park with artificial turf.
Constant wear and tear on the fields have made maintenance difficult, Glaysher said.
In May, the council authorized Glaysher to conduct a cost-benefit analysis for placement of the turf, which was estimated at approximately $ 1. 35 million.
Glaysher said the analysis hasn't been completed yet because one company is considering placing the turf on one of the fields for free to allow players the chance to test it out and see if it works.
Still, Glaysher is confident the artificial turf would be better than the grass currently on the fields. "Without doing the cost analysis of it, when you consider the maintenance, water, grass seed, overseeding and mowing, it's got to be more beneficial," Glaysher said.
The artificial turf must be maintained by use of a special broom once a week. Glaysher said that while vandalism is possible, he's not concerned about it too much.
"(Vandalism is ) always a possibility. The only vandalism I heard was an incident in New Jersey; someone tried to burn the field, and the field was shut down," Glaysher said. "That can happen, but you can also go out there and put weedkiller on the grass. It's going to take time to repair it," he said.
This week, the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission released a report on artificial turf determining children are not at risk from exposure to lead in the blades of artificial turf grass fields.
In the evaluation released Wednesday, the federal commission focused narrowly on lead used in the manufacturing process to fix pigment colors in the blades. They looked at how much lead might collect on children's hands as turf deteriorates with age and wear. The study did not look at other materials in the turf, including cadmium, zinc and benzene, which are in the tires used to make the cushions for the fields.
The EPA is expected to complete an assessment of synthetic turf fields in the fall. This study will look at blades, and examine any risks from inhalation, ingestion or skin contact with some of the 31 chemicals in tire-based cushions.
Once Glaysher completes the cost-benefit analysis, it will be presented to the council for consideration.
Tadeu "T. D. "Dias, director of coaches for NWA Lightning Soccer, told the council in May that the organization may be able to pay up to half of the expenses for installation of the new turf.
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