Synthetic turf dominates discussion
The Port Washington Board of Education meeting on Oct. 6 focused on facility upgrades within the scope of the school district’s recent bond referendum. Roger Smith, principal architect of BBS Architects & Engineers, presented the board with an update on district projects. Smith began with an overview of the approval process, noting that New York State Education Department (SED) issues the permits for these projects and the district must wait for its approval before it can award bids and commence work. This process takes a significant amount of time with approval taking 12 to 16 weeks for projects that do not require mechanical engineering and up to 42 weeks for those that include plumbing and electrical work once paperwork is filed at SED.
Smith reported on the status of Phase I projects. Plans for the renovation of the high school science rooms were filed with SED in August and the plans for similar renovations at Weber were filed in September. The high school auditorium renovation submission is being finalized and it is anticipated that these plans will be filed with SED this month. The roof renovation at Manorhaven School was submitted to SED for approval on Oct. 1 and the roof replacement for the administrative building, which was bid and awarded outside the scope of the bond, is expected to get underway within the week. The athletic field renovations and window replacement project are scheduled for submission to SED in December and will likely be reviewed and approved in the shorter time period because these projects do not require mechanical engineering review. Other phases of the bond projects, such as the middle school auditorium, locker room renovations and the installation of districtwide security cameras and vestibules are also in progress, and Smith stated that he hoped to keep all the work on schedule.
At the conclusion of his presentation, Smith introduced Curt Coronado, the landscape architect at BBS, who gave a comprehensive overview and analysis of synthetic athletic fields. Synthetic or artificial turf is a grass-like cover that replicates natural grass in appearance and function and provides a durable year round, all-weather playing surface that can withstand extensive use over long periods of time, as opposed to natural grass fields which requires more maintenance and should be taken out of use on a regular rotation for the grass to recover and replenish. Synthetic turf systems typically include a layer of drainage, a multi-layer backing system, and artificial grass blades that are interspersed with sand and granulated material or “infill,” which must meet certain safety and performance guidelines. The most popular and widely used infill is crumb rubber; however, there are other alternatives, such as cool fill, otherwise known as coated rubber infill (which is essentially crumb rubber coated with colorants, sealers or anti-microbial substances), and organic infill, made from natural cork and/or ground coconut shells. Another alternative is Nike Grind, which is made from recycled sneakers. Recently, use of crumb-rubber turf has come under increased scrutiny amid questions concerning health risks associated with this material, which is made out of ground recycled tires.
After his presentation, which included a comparative of the pros and cons of each type of infill, including installation and maintenance costs estimates, Coronado confirmed that crumb rubber is still the most reliable, durable and cost effective of the alternatives and, when pressed by the board, he indicated that he would recommend the product.
Upon the conclusion of the presentations, the board members asked numerous questions concerning the turf as well as other aspects of the bond projects. Board President Karen Sloan made it clear that no decisions concerning infill had been made, noting this is an important process and the board takes issues concerning the health and safety of its students seriously. The board will continue its investigation and deliberations on this issue over the next several weeks.
Prior to the BBS presentation, the board recognized Athletic Hall of Fame Committee members Sue and Dick Mara, Alice O’Leary and Barbara Faticone for their contribution to this year’s Pride in Port Hall of Fame Induction and allowed for open public comment. Parents of children in grades K-12 and of students who have graduated spoke in support of smaller class sizes and in defense of the Port Washington Enrichment Program (PEP). PEP provides enrichment to students in grades K-8 and has a “core group” component whereby qualifying students in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade are offered additional instruction in a pull-out format for two hours per week. Many parents spoke passionately of the importance of PEP and voiced their objection to cuts in the program. Many say that PEP has fallen victim to budget cuts over the years and rather than further reductions, the board should be considering how to maintain, restore and expand the program. Several speakers emphasized the importance for the district to reevaluate and reassess its priorities. One parent, blaming common core for taking the creativity out of the classroom, advocated for programs such as PEP, which she believes brings the creativity back into the learning process. Another parent was concerned that property values would suffer if the curriculum in the district erodes due to the loss of programs such as PEP and due to increased class sizes. Noting that gifted and talented students are special needs kids, one parent said her child told her that PEP was “the only place where things were fun and challenging.”
In response to the public comment, Sloan reiterated that no decisions have been made regarding programming and invited all to come to committee meetings where there is an opportunity for dialogue on these topics. Sloan also said that the board is already looking at the issue of class sizes for next year. Sloan noted that all of these issues need to be discussed in the context of the budget and tax cap levy and stated that the board is willing to meet with all stakeholders at any time to discuss these issues.
