 The debate over whether to install turf over grass fields has become a referendum on sports, health, the environment and the use of scarce public resources.
By Ken Belson and Hiroko Tabuchi July 26, 2025 Across the country, cities and towns are replacing grass fields with synthetic turf, a change that is driven by youth sports teams eager for more year-round playing spaces and the multibillion-dollar turf industry working to convince communities that plastic fields are better than natural ones. Many local officials, at the urging of families involved in youth sports, say turf fields can easily be played on after it rains and don’t need to be mowed or reseeded. But some residents, environmentalists and coaches are pushing back, claiming turf — which is made of plastic blades that mimic the look of grass and often sit on a layer of crumb rubber — is expensive to maintain because it must be replaced after several years, is vulnerable to flooding and exposes children to harmful chemicals and hotter temperatures. The debate over whether to install turf over grass fields has become a referendum on sports, health, the environment and the use of scarce public resources. In 2022, Boston effectively banned the installation of artificial turf, and municipalities in California, Connecticut and elsewhere have followed suit. Read the article  By Mia Alva, Jul 3, 2025 (photo by Mia Alva)
After agreeing to replace the La Cañada High School turf field in November 2024, the La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board recently approved a change order due to an unforeseen condition, increasing the contract by $113,000. Part of the original agreement with FieldTurf USA was to reuse the existing shock pads that lie beneath the synthetic turf, as they had passed testing that assessed the hardness of the playing surface. “It was expected that only approximately 5,000 square feet of the existing shock pads would need to be replaced,” Melissa Shepherd, assistant superintendent of business and operations, said to the board. “After removal of the existing turf, it was discovered that more than 5,000 square feet was needed to be replaced and unusable.” Since the proposal cost included a $40,000 allowance for unforeseen items, the increase will come out to $73,447 and make the full contract amount $909,258 instead of the original amount of $795,118. ...the district anticipated 20 years of life out of the current shock pads, which didn’t pan out. Shepherd said that certain sections were wearing differently. These are excerpts, read the full article here. |
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