Editor,
The Warwick School Board wants our approval to spend millions of dollars to build two synthetic (plastic) athletic fields ($5.8 M of the $14.9 M total). This is a crummy deal, and here’s why:
1.) It is totally unsustainable. Switching from natural grass to artificial turf is pretty much a permanent decision even though they will need to be replaced every eight to 10 years or so. Seldom are they ever converted back to natural grass. We will have to buy them over and over again. Also, the worn out synthetic turf fields, like plastic bags, do not degrade, and it’s now causing a great concern nationally on what to do with them because most landfills will not accept them.
2.) Don’t be fooled about the capital improvements being “tax neutral.” Nothing is tax neutral. What this means is that the School Board already has received our tax dollars, and just because it’s in their pockets now doesn’t give them the right to spend it foolishly. These plastic synthetic fields are over 10 times as expensive as natural grass. Furthermore, clustering the other additional capital improvements into an all or none proposal only clouds the issue.
3.) It’s simply not right that our main natural grass field was only used about five times for only football games this year. This field should have been used a lot more, and with all the advancements in natural grass research in recent years, if our school district had the will power to apply it, the field would replenish itself – naturally.
Let’s get a time out on this subject! Let’s rethink what this really means to our community’s economy and environment. This is a “negative” game changer for our whole town. Let’s act like the green agricultural community that we claim we are.
On Wed., Dec. 18, please vote NO on the $14.9 million dollar capital expenditure proposal being presented by the Warwick School Board.
LEONARD M. DEBUCK
