Terry,

I appreciate you're being defiant of industries trying
to spin facts to promote their products.
I want to reassure you I don't represent the Sod
industry, nor do I have the intention to.
I'm not advocating for Sod, just grass. Since we are
all in a hurry to have a field by fall 2007, planting
from seeds is probably not realistic.

If I may quote the comment from an Encinal 10y old who
played soccer on an artificial turf:
1. It really hurts when you fall on it
2. It is really bad for the environment

We all may argue about #2, but not about #1.

Laure

--- Terry Thygesen <thygesen_terry@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Dear Ms. Wainscoat,
>
> Artificial turf is not even under consideration for
> Laurel school.
> It is not at all helpful to our decision-making
> process to generate
> petitions. Anyone who has questions or concerns
> should contact us
> directly instead.
>
> Terry
>
> On Mar 23, 2007, at 8:14 AM, Kimberly wrote:
>
> > Dear Terry & Ahmad,
> > Our Laurel campus lawn is organically fertilized
> and free of
> > chemicals and pesticides this year. We had planned
> to do this with
> > the Enicnal field as well beginning fall 2007.
> Laurel is on the way
> > to becoming the nation's first Zero Waste and
> Sustainable public
> > school campus and Encinal and Oak Knoll are
> following suit this
> > year. I am working with the EPA in Sacramento and
> in touch with the
> > Governor's office. They are watching our
> development to see how we
> > pull this off. A "throw away" artificial turf does
> not fit with
> > "zero waste" or sustainability. It would go to the
> landfill at
> > least every eight years, and then we must pay
> again to replace it.
> >
> > There is a large petition going around with at
> least 300 signatures
> > in just a few days of families opposed to
> artificial turf at the
> > school. I suspect the board and Mr. Ranella will
> soon receive it.
> >
> > Also, the neighbors in Felton Gables bordering the
> school are
> > actively opposing the turf as they are seeking to
> protect their
> > heritage oak trees.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > Kimberly Wainscoat
> >
> > On Mar 22, 2007, at 11:43 PM, Terry Thygesen
> wrote:
> >
> >> Dear Ms. Wainscoat,
> >>
> >> Thank you for your comments. We are actively
> considering the
> >> possibility of artificial turf on one of the
> Encinal fields as a
> >> way to increase the usability of the field and
> also to mitigate
> >> the negative environmental effects from the
> significant water
> >> usage and chemical fertilizers required by grass
> fields. I have
> >> copied our facility planner/program manager,
> Ahmad Sheikoleslami,
> >> so that he can make sure that your concerns about
> potential
> >> negative impacts of artificial turf are
> considered by our district
> >> facility planning team. We will carefully
> evaluate the pluses and
> >> minuses before making any decision, and we will
> also be careful to
> >> consider the source of all information we
> evaluate since there are
> >> self-interested advocates for both the artificial
> turf as well as
> >> the grass sod industries who are spinning the
> facts to promote
> >> their products.
> >>
> >> Best Regards,
> >>
> >> Terry Thygesen
> >> President, Board of Trustees
> >> Menlo Park City School District
> >>
> >> On Mar 20, 2007, at 10:23 PM, Kimberly wrote:
> >>
> >>> Dear Mr. Ranella and the MPCSD Board,
> >>>
> >>> I am a parent in this district and I understand
> the School Board
> >>> of Menlo Park is considering replacing the grass
> fields at
> >>> Encinal and Laurel with artificial turf. I
> strongly believe that
> >>> artificial turf on any school campus is highly
> inappropriate.
> >>>
> >>> A major environmental problem with artificial
> grass is that heavy
> >>> metals in the materials can leach into our water
> table causing
> >>> serious environmental damage and potential
> cleanup costs that
> >>> could far exceed any cost saving considerations
> associated with
> >>> the use of artificial turf.
> >>>
> >>> Our environment here in California is quite
> temperate and it's
> >>> very easy to grow grass. Fields gets plenty of
> light, we do not
> >>> have snow, and we do not have excessive rains
> that create mud. We
> >>> also do not have excessive drought conditions
> that would prevent
> >>> us from watering lawns. We are also one of the
> wealthiest public
> >>> school districts on the planet, so the argument
> that we may save
> >>> a few bucks not having to water or mow a lawn is
> absurd.
> >>>
> >>> Natural lawn has a superior ability to trap and
> bring in water
> >>> through it's ecosystem. In addition, grass
> enhances soil water
> >>> infiltration and recharges groundwater. Imagine
> if every school,
> >>> park and backyard in our community had
> artificial turf covering
> >>> it? What would this do to our water table? May I
> remind you that
> >>> real grass provides homes to an entire ecosystem
> of creatures
> >>> such as butterflies, worms, and beetles. This is
> an educational
> >>> environment, not just a soccer area. Real grass
> can provide a
> >>> sport space and a science lesson or two.
> Artificial turf cannot
> >>> do both.
> >>>
> >>> Other issue with artificial turf includes:
> >>> —It can smell bad.
> >>> —Heavy chemicals would be need to disinfect the
> turf
> >>> periodically since it does not absorb body
> fluids the way grass
> >>> does, fluids such as blood, soda, food, sweat,
> and urine or feces
> >>> from animals and possibly humans.
> >>> — Friction between skin and some types of
> artificial turf causes
> >>> abrasions and/or burns to a much greater extent
> than natural
> >>> grass. This is an issue for some sports: for
> example, soccer in
> >>> which sliding maneuvers are common and clothing
> does not fully
> >>> cover the limbs.
> >>> —Turf toe, or metatarsalphalangeal joint sprain,
> is a physical
> >>> injury often associated with playing on
> artificial turf. Turf toe
> >>> can often progress into a chronic problem, in
> which the joint(s)
> >>> never really heals or heals too slowly to return
> to usual
> >>> physical activity (not god for developing
> children).
> >>> —A lot of rubber can get into shoes.
> >>>
> >>> Dear Board, you will have more parents
> impassioned about
> >>> preserving the natural environment and
> protecting it than parents
> >>> going around praising more synthetic and
> artificial products
> >>> directly in our children's environment.
> >>>
> >>> Sincerely,
> >>> Aaron and Kimberly Wainscoat
> >>> Menlo Park
> >>>
> >>
> >
>
>

 
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Received on Fri Mar 23 10:10:35 2007