Roger Berliner Met with FieldTurf as Parks and MCPS Scrambled to Address Artificial Turf Safety Issues #GMAX #FieldTurf @RogerBerliner

In the Summer of 2016, an article on Forbes online detailed the dangerous condition of the Walter Johnson High School artificial turf field.  That article caused MCPS and Montgomery Parks to scramble to respond to questions about the safety of all of the artificial turf fields in the county.

By October of 2016, Montgomery Parks knew that their artificial turf field behind Blair High School had failed and needed to be replaced.  Quietly, Montgomery Parks allowed 3 artificial turf vendors to make presentations to their staff. FieldTurf, the no bid vendor that has supplied Montgomery Parks and MCPS with artificial turf fields since 2009 was one of the vendors permitted to make a presentation.

E-mails obtained by the Parents' Coalition detail that during the FieldTurf presentation to Montgomery Parks staff on November 14, 2016, FieldTurf stated that they had a "new product that they had recently showed to Council Member Roger Berliner."  

Why is a Montgomery County Councilmember meeting with a no bid vendor?

The Montgomery County Council funds artificial turf on MCPS and Parks fields, but does not actually contract for the construction projects.  Why would a Councilmember be meeting privately with a vendor, especially during a time when the safety of existing FieldTurf artificial turf fields was being scrutinized?

Remember that the law firm Roger Berliner worked for before coming to Montgomery County has been the NYC lobbyist for FieldTurf.

Here is the e-mail from Montgomery Parks that describes the FieldTurf presentation to Parks staff on November 14, 2016.

  2016 December FieldTurf Met With Berliner by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd