Oak Bluffs Board of Health Mulls Draft Ban on Artificial Turf

As a dispute over the athletic fields overhaul at the regional high school heads to court, the Oak Bluffs board of health appears poised to adopt a two-year ban on artificial turf in town.

At a meeting Tuesday morning, the board resumed ongoing discussion around imposing a moratorium on turf fields, aimed at preventing PFAS chemicals from leaching into the groundwater. One day earlier, the regional high school committee voted to sue the Oak Bluffs planning board over its decision to deny a special permit that would allow a long-planned turf field to be built at the high school.

“I come back to this conclusion,” board of health chairman William White said Tuesday. “I’m going to err on the side of caution.”

PFAS (which stands for per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of manmade substances, dubbed “forever chemicals” for their inability to break down in the environment.

Discussion about a possible ban on artificial turf began at the board of health last December. The issue was discussed at meetings through early February, and revisited again early this month.

On Tuesday board members reviewed a draft version of the moratorium that would bar the installation of artificial turf for up to 36 months, while the board continues to study and assess the risks associated with PFAS. Board members indicated that the moratorium will likely be changed to 24 months, based an an opinion from town counsel Michael Goldsmith.

“So that’s going to be one of the changes, 24 months instead of 36,” Mr. White said.

Board member Tom Zinno said if the moratorium is adopted, it will allow the board to take time to evaluate the dangers of PFAS.

“We need to sit back and get more information,” Mr. Zinno said.

He added that information about PFAS is growing and changing rapidly, warranting caution.

“It’s on the Vineyard,” he said. “It’s not going anywhere, it’s just accumulating.”

Board member James Butterick agreed.

“The evidence against PFAS is growing just every day,” he said.

Regional school committee member Kris O’Brien attended the meeting and questioned whether the draft ban had been fully reviewed by counsel. Mr. White reiterated that it is only a draft.

Noting the divisiveness around the turf field project, he urged Islanders to keep their criticisms trained on the board of health.

“If someone’s going to be the lightning rod, let it be me as the chair, or one of the other board members,” Mr. White said.

This seems late in the game doesn’t it? The school already has its application in front of several boards in the town. This project should be grandfathered in because the town has had it for at least a year. You talk about wasting taxpayer money. Why is the BOH getting involved this late when they’ve known about this project for years. This is amazingly unfair to this application, talk about changing the rules during the game. This should not be allowed. Taxpayers have paid so much to get the project this far only to now have 2 boards in the town to change the rules because they’ve been pressured by a special interest group with fear and no fact to back up their claims. State regulations on these materials are well within safe standards. The kids are the losers in this debate, that is Fact not fiction.

This comment perfectly exemplifies the turf proponents’ perspective. They continue to assume such a ban has to do with their project and their project alone. Yes, it may have been the cause by which such an issue came into public consideration, but a moratorium seeks to think of the Island as a whole. Many other communities within the state and region are also considering such measures or dealing with the consequence of hasty turf implementation. It seems as though the proponents of turf, which are overwhelmingly parents whose kids are currently in the HS system (I guarantee they will not give this issue a second thought once their kids have moved on), believe that mistakes can only be made and not avoided. To act like the issue of a new athletic complex is so urgent that all caution must be thrown to the wind to get it done (so said parents and kids don’t “feel bad” when they go to off-island schools <—- this is seriously an argument) is short-sighted. To act like students are not being provided for is hyperbole. The Island as a whole (both summer residents and year-rounders) offer a TREMENDOUS amount of opportunities to all island children. Off-island children couldn’t dream of the amount of money given away to graduating seniors, or the years of free tennis, or the cushy MV Youth packages, or the renovated ice rink or the teen center, or the skate park, etc. etc.. Obviously, I believe it is wonderful that we are able to provide for the children in this way. But to act like the children are being neglected and will suffer if they don’t get a turf field? That is profoundly dishonest and disingenuous.

Your points are well taken but you’ve missed mine. Since this project first came to light almost 10 years ago, hundreds of student athletes have graduated, all hoping that this project would have been resolved and a new facility built, with turf or grass, but no, and now the current student athletes are looking at more delays. When the Field Fund walked away from the high school after promising quality grass fields, and it’s on record they walked away, the school put forth a plan to provide an excellent facility. Now in the 11th hour the OB BOH weighs in promising at least another 2 year delay in the project. It isn’t so simple to just switch over to grass, more fields have to be built to accommodate what one turf field could do. These delays created by the opponents to the project are wins to them. So who is the cause of increase use of tax dollars and lack of an approved plan, take a guess and it’s not the school.

Grass had its time as a playable surface, it’s time to embrace change on this island and stop fighting the progress that is artificial turf. Please let’s come to our senses and stop trying to hold this island back in its ways.

“Grass has had its time as a playing surface.” “Water has had its time as a beverage.” “Air has had its time as breath.”

I disagree that grass as a playing field surface has become passe'.. Definitely would not call an artificial turf playing field progress & that installing one would make MV HS "hipper" .

If there is mounting evidence of danger to the environment and probable contamination of our sole aquifer caused by the inert ingredients of artificial turf, then there shouldn't be a square inch of it anywhere on Martha's Vineyard. We cannot afford to take the chance. I call on the regional high school committee to reconsider its' decision.

What mounting evidence?

have any of the commenters here ever actually played sports on artificial turf? shouldn’t this be part of the equation? i have, and it was an awful experience. numerous turf related injuries on the soccer team my senior year; it cost us the state title.

Excellent. Definitely ban that plastic turf.

Lawyers in Love! This is another really dumb lawsuit. Read up on PFAS, forever chemicals. Our priceless aquifer is listening.

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Comments (11)

Islander61, OB

May 24, 2022 - 7:26pm

Former Athlete, Now Community Member

May 25, 2022 - 4:17am

May 25, 2022 - 11:01am

Amy Lyon, West Tisbury

May 24, 2022 - 7:34pm

Some considerations, OB

May 25, 2022 - 4:19am

gina, Menemsha/NYC

May 25, 2022 - 10:28am

Marie Laursen, Tisbury

May 24, 2022 - 8:10pm

Schools Out, Tisbury

May 24, 2022 - 10:26pm

august west, edgartown

May 25, 2022 - 12:12pm

Carol, formerly Chilmark

May 26, 2022 - 4:39pm

Ken Rusczyk, Oak Bluffs

February 9, 2023 - 8:31am

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Oak Bluffs Board of Health Mulls Draft Ban on Artificial Turf

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Oak Bluffs Board of Health Mulls Draft Ban on Artificial Turf

Aidan Pollard

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