The $3 million synthetic field is too costly. The NFL medical director noted in 2023 that it’s not only player injuries but chemical exposure. Proponents asserted no PFAS but Synthetic Turf Council President Melanie Taylor in 2023 stated the industry needs until 2026 “to develop viable alternatives.” Proponents claimed fake turf lasts 15-20 years, but the company guarantees 7-8. The field is not recyclable according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s 2024 article. Not only PFAS, other microplastics have been linked to cancer, fertility and immune issues and, as the New England Journal of Medicine reported, strokes and heart attacks. The fossil fuel grass will continue to release global warming CO2. The board never looked minutes away at developing fields near the town forest or at Twin Brooks. Reject SAD 51’s high price.

Glenn Morazzini
Cumberland

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