Artificial Turf Installation

Underway At Tilson Field

By Kendra Bobowick

As summer’s last blooms bow toward the ground and disappear beneath early 2009 winter snows, the quiet layers of white can be deceiving. Busy at work installing an artificial turf surface at Tilson field adjacent to Treadwell Park, crews are disturbing snow settling silently from the sky and sending their voices and sounds of clanging machinery into the early January air.

In the hours before New Year’s Day, both Parks and Recreation Department Director Amy Mangold and Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman Edward Marks were eager to see the new field ready for play.

“We are hoping to have it up and running for the spring season,” Mr Marks said. Regarding the six- to eight-week project, he continued, “They’ll work through the winter to get it in place.” Ms Mangold had said in past days that she is excited to see the new field installed.

Parks and Rec members had waited through much of 2008 for the final “OK” for the more than $700,000 capital improvement funds to finance the project, which is a final touch to issues of sufficient field space.

More than a year ago, in December 2007, recreation members had stressed to the public and town officials that an artificial field at Tilson at $725,000 will address a “critical shortage of multipurpose field space,” according to the recreation department’s then-capital requests outline.

Less than one month later in the early moments of 2008, Mr Marks at last sounded relieved at a recreation commission meeting. “I never thought I would be here saying this, but once we get Tilson [field] and the high school [field] resurfaced, we’re done.” The recreation department has met the town’s field needs for the moment. “I feel we have done a lot to get caught up,” Mr Marks had said.

He had later explained, “We don’t have any other field or turf projects on the horizon…it’s the first time in a long time that we have been able to take a breath and don’t have another thing on the task list.” Turf surfacing and lighting are two big reasons. “Turf provides so much more time for play; you don’t have to worry about the field resting, and light extends playing time,” Mr Marks said. The Tilson field artificial turf is at this moment turning into a reality, but had first required the town approval.

In June 2008, a variety of town departments, including Parks and Recreation, got their capital money. Roughly $3.1 million will fund a new dog pound, artificial turf field, new recreation department maintenance building roof, and middle school repairs.

During the summer town meeting, roughly 54 people had squeezed into the library’s meeting room one rainy weekday evening and passed the capital project appropriations.

The majority show of hands was swift — taking place between 7 and 7:30 pm. But in two cases, the discussion was argumentative. The new dog pound and artificial turf plans for Tilson field both prompted objections.

Was the artificial turf excessive? Is artificial turf safe? For a time stories circulated that the rubber granuals in the undercoating for the synthetic field could, at certain higher temperatures, emit toxic chemicals, as one local study had suggested. Mr Marks was firm as he explained the reasons his department “advocated” the turf, and as he and others scheduled an informational meeting open to the public where they had intended to discuss the artificial surface, only one local sports parents had attended.

Now nearing completion, the new year will bring a new field, and hopefully leagues will set cleats on its surface by spring.