Public Comment: For the Sake of the Planet, Choose Grass for New Athletic Field

The following public comment was offered at the joint meeting of the Amherst Regional School Committee and the Union 26 School Committee on November 28, 2023.

I am here to encourage you to rescind your choice for artificial turf on the high school track renovation project. 

My reasons are, along with the points made in previous comments tonight, to consider the world-wide struggle that this project can be part of, and consider the broad educational goals in your current policy manual. Before I address those actions, let me explain why I am invested in this project. 

In 1987 I was elected to the Pelham School Committee and appointed to sit on this Regional Board. I served on both boards for 6 years, until both of our sons graduated. Joshua in 1989 and Eli in 1993. Josh played lacrosse, and Eli soccer and baseball. 

When the Regional High School was renovated and expanded in the mid to late 1990’s, I served on that Building Committee. A new library, this library, was one of the improvements most in demand for that project, as was the reconstruction and enlargement of the track and its infield playing surface. That infield surface was eventually built with Kentucky Bluegrass sod from Savage Sod Farms in Deerfield. That surface remains in place today, 25 years later, due to the care given by the turf management experts from the Town of Amherst. Twenty five years of organic solid building through carbon sequestration. Twenty five years of safe playing conditions for our students. Twenty five years of financial benefit from the natural turfgrass that was prudently maintained. 

Now to return to the two points I would like you to consider before proceeding with replacing our natural grass with Option 3, artificial turf. 

First, England’s Prince of Wales, Prince William, created a worldwide organization, the Earthshot Prize, in 2020 to search for and scale the most innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges. The Earthshot Prize’s goal is to restore our natural assets by applying urgency and optimism to create action. Our high school track project can be part of the Prince’s effort. If you choose to continue with natural grass, we will adhere to three of his goals: 

● Protect and restore nature 

● Build a waste-free world 

● Fix our climate. 

My second point concerns your policy manual. In goal #8 under policy ADA: K-12 Broad Educational Goals, you are to make sure that each learner is provided with “the knowledge and understanding of the balance between humanity and the environment”, and should “develop attitudes and behavior leading to the intelligent use of the environment”. Choosing natural over artificial adheres to your policy and provides an example of how humanity can choose to use the environment intelligently.

Tom Fanning is a resident of Pelham