Superintendent Smith says: What Happens to Removed Plastic Grass is "beyond the control of MCPS." #artificialturf #pollution

July 18th RMHS: Unprotected storm drain clogged
 with crumb rubber and water.

Superintendent Jack R. Smith wrote a memorandum to the Board of Education on August 8, 2018, disputing what is clearly shown in photographs from Richard Montgomery High School in our series of photographs over multiple days.  See Parade of Pollution posts.

As our pictures show, some of the rolls of plastic grass and crumb rubber left the RMHS site on the back of an uncovered tractor trailer on a bright sunny day.  Superintendent Jack Smith's excuse for why the tractor trailer left RMHS uncovered with crumb rubber spilling out into the road does not correspond with reality.

Over multiple days, crumb rubber was observed blanketing the RMHS site with no attempt of any sort to stop the crumb rubber from going into the storm drains.  One of our pictures shows a large pool of water filled with crumb rubber around an unprotected storm drain.

Superintendent Smith refers to a company by the name of TurfCycle, but does not address the fact that such a company is not licensed to do business in Maryland and does not exist anywhere on the Internet.  Superintendent Smith contracted with this company and that begs the question, on what basis does MCPS evaluate the existence and licensing of its contractors?

Superintendent Smith does not explain what happened to the 35+ rolls of plastic grass and crumb rubber that were not removed from RMHS by TurfCycle.  Where did those 12+ tons of plastic and ground up tires go?

Finally, Superintendent Smith cites a funding source for the replacement of the RMHS artificial turf football field that does not exist.  The Artificial Turf Program Fund was appropriated by the Montgomery County Council to pay for the installation of new artificial turf fields at high schools that did not have an artificial turf field.  The Fund was not created to pay for the replacement of artificial turf fields.

   2018 August 8 MCPS Jack R. Smith by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd