To the editor:

Please vote Yes on Questions 9 and 10. Tuesday, November 5, may be Barrington’s last chance to demonstrably improve its athletic fields after decades of inaction.  The proposal to install a synthetic turf field in Barrington followed several years of reviewing decades of Barrington field reports (since at least 1986); looking at the most productive ways to improve our town fields; contacting every town, school, and college in Rhode Island that has a synthetic turf field to receive feedback (overwhelmingly positive); and researching a voluminous amount of information on fields, including synthetic turf fields.  

Based on that research and more, a synthetic turf field at Barrington Middle School (BMS) is the solution to the longstanding problems with our town fields: (1) Barrington does not have enough fields in town; (2) the existing fields in town are overused; (3) the existing fields in town are in poor condition because of their overuse; and, (4) importantly, the town is unable to rest its existing fields.  It is imperative for Questions 9 and 10 to pass to finally improve our Town’s field situation, or else we will have more of the same for years to come.  

The facts are as follows.  Despite misinformation being conveyed to the contrary, the synthetic turf field at BMS will be fully recyclable (like the new synthetic turf field at East Providence High School) and made with organic infill or no infill.  

According to Barrington’s independent field consultant, synthetic turf fields today are not made to have PFAs.  If traces of PFAs are found on turf fields, they are left by the users of the fields, certain types of maintenance equipment, and even rainwater, among other sources.  Our grass fields are filled with PFAs from the same sources – including lawnmowers for grass fields (and your lawn at home).  In all likelihood, there are more PFAs in your smart phone, computer, or newspaper used to read this letter than you could find in a swath of a synthetic turf field.  Despite claims to the contrary, recent testing for PFAs in synthetic turf fields come back as “not detected above method detection limits” (see, e.g., Portsmouth, NH).  Synthetic turf fields can also be certified as PFAs free.        

Consider Brown University, for example.  Brown has several synthetic turf fields, some installed within the last few years and some that have been around for many years.  As an Ivy League school, Brown is home to some of the best medical research and scientific research in the entire world.  If a synthetic turf field were harmful to the health and wellbeing of their student athletes, do you think Brown would install synthetic turf fields, and keep installing them after many years of use?

Or consider Providence College.  In response to the Town’s inquiry about their experience with synthetic turf fields since 2005, Providence College’s athletic department responded that:  “If our Sports Medicine staff had serious concerns about student-athlete welfare as it relates to turf fields it seems unlikely the college or our department would continue installing fields in this way.”   

I made the proposal for a synthetic turf field in Barrington.  My own two kids will play on the fields.  I’m not interested in putting my children in harm’s way.  They will not be if there is a synthetic turf field at BMS.  

Overall, voting to approve a synthetic turf field at BMS will directly improve all of the longstanding problems with our town fields.  For example, the synthetic turf field at BMS can provide three-to-four times more usage than a natural grass field (with significantly lower annual maintenance costs) and will allow the grass fields in town to rest on a rotating basis, which is critical to improve the condition of our grass fields.  Without the ability to rest the fields, the field conditions in Barrington will never improve in a sustainable manner.  

For these reasons, and all the reasons discussed over the last two years (and longer), please vote to approve Questions 9 and 10.  Thank you again for your consideration.

Robert Humm

Barrington

Rob Humm is the Vice President of the Barrington Town Council.