Artificial Turf Field at Richard Montgomery: 19 Bags of Infill

On Wednesday, October 27, I happened to be driving by our neighborhood school, Richard Montgomery High School, home of the first artificial turf field in Montgomery County Public Schools. This field is relatively new: installed a couple of years ago, despite community concerns about both the environmental cost and the financial cost.

Imagine my surprise that afternoon to see 19 large bags of “infill” sitting in the parking lot, destined to be spread on the Richard Montgomery field. And when I say large bags, I mean LARGE. See the photo. By the next morning, Thursday, October 28, at 10:20 a.m., all these bags were gone, and the field had a vehicle driving around on it, presumably grooming the field.

Just a few questions for our County Council and Board of Education:

1. Why did this relatively new field require an additional 19 bags of infill (aka crumb rubber)?
2. Does the fact that the field had to have a replacement of 19 bags of infill mean that the equivalent of 19 bags has been washed into the Chesapeake Bay watershed over the last two years?
3. Did Montgomery County Public Schools pay for these 19 bags of infill? What was the cost?
4. Did Montgomery County Public Schools pay for the supplier to spread the contents of the bags using their equipment? How much did this cost?
5. How often will additional infill material be required at Richard Montgomery High School field?

These and other questions need to be answered before MCPS engages in a wholesale replacement of grass fields with artificial turf.