Board of Education and County Council Put Massive Sheet of Plastic over Field at New High School. #heatisland #plastic

Concerned about global warming?  That's not a concern here in Montgomery County, Maryland. 

The Montgomery County Board of Education and the Montgomery County Council have finalized their plan to put down a massive sheet of plastic on the playing field at the new high school under construction on Old Georgetown Road. The Board of Education and the Montgomery County Council have made a choice to cover the ground with plastic and create a heat island.  

You can see the size of the giant sheet of plastic in this image from the Mandatory Referral documents filed with the Montgomery County Planning Board. 

The big purple oval shown in the image below is the massive sheet of plastic that will be installed at the Woodward High School construction site. 

The green areas on this image are the parts of the site that will be grass and dirt. 

A 🧵about the danger of synthetic turf in the heat. To start, here's an email thread that spans 5 years documenting the flat-out refusal of @MayorBowser @DMEforDC @DCPSChancellor @DCDGS @DOEE_DC to implement a heat policy.

A 🧵about the danger of synthetic turf in the heat. To start, here's an email thread that spans 5 years documenting the flat-out refusal of @MayorBowser @DMEforDC @DCPSChancellor @DCDGS @DOEE_DC to implement a heat policy. https://t.co/MNMKyskiNg

— Tireless DC (@tirelessdc) July 21, 2022

Montgomery County Will Map Urban Heat Islands and Heat Inequities This Summer

What’s the hottest summertime spot in Montgomery County?

A group of citizen scientists will soon find out.

Montgomery County is undertaking a project to map out various temperatures of its neighborhoods as a part of a national effort to keep track of heat inequities and find solutions for the county’s urban heat islands...

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2022/05/02/montgomery-county-will-map-urban-heat-islands-and-heat-inequities-this-summer/?fbclid=IwAR18dYFh2kJho5aknleoMw-zoB3v22Kz4dtHexvfWdzcxu7UA36tqhbn-XI

Australia: How will Synthetic turf impact urban heat island and microclimate around Hosken Reserve?

 

Adding a synthetic pitch to Hosken Reserve will increase the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE), reduce the Cool Park effect, and be felt mostly strongly by local residents. Artificial turf elevated temperatures will affect playability and heat stress to players, and not only in Summer but also for warm days in both Spring and Autumn when the temperature is elevated. Our Melbourne summers are getting longer.

For the most part it is local residents that would need to live with this permanent impact on increased microclimate temperatures over summer months and during warmer days in Spring and Autumn. Urban Heat island effect is more prominent during the night than during the day. This will likely increase evening energy use from air conditioners of local residents which will have a feedback of putting more heat back into the local environment.

Our temperature research at Hosken Reserve natural grass oval and Clifton Park synthetic pitch shows on a warm day (around 30C as per BOM records) the surface temperatures on the synthetic pitch are regularly 80-90 percent greater than natural grass, and may on occasion reach double the temperature of grass.

Moreland’s heat vulnerability is already at a high level, synthetic turf will contribute more heat when we need to be trying to cool our suburbs through green infrastructure. Moreland Council needs to find cooling solutions not exacerbate the problem with converting a much loved community shared grass oval to a fenced synthetic pitch...

https://climateactionmoreland.org/2021/04/03/how-will-synthetic-turf-impact-urban-heat-island-and-microclimate-around-hosken-reserve/?fbclid=IwAR0IqXoyvSEXZJYbmdZnTxJYEZwRmcI8dcCCdMO9YTaeQG-lN8kxbK9BNU8

Jordan McNair Death: How His Parents Are Turning Their Grief Into Hope After Losing Son To Heatstroke In 2018 #artificialturf

PUBLIC HEARING: Artificial Turf Stadiums at Julius West Middle School. Mayor and Council of Rockville, Maryland, will conduct a public hearing on Monday, October 7, 2019, at 7:00 p.m #artificialturf #heatislands #climatechange

September 26, 2019 Julius West Middle School stadiums

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICES
NOTICE OF HEARING

Notice is hereby given that the Mayor and Council of Rockville, Maryland, will conduct a public hearing on Monday, October 7, 2019, at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as it may be heard, in the Council Chamber, Rockville City Hall, 111 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland, in connection with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)  regarding the use of the lighted artificial turf fields at Julius West Middle School (JWMS), located at 651 Great FallsRoad.

The MOU is proposed to address a condition of approval of Mandatory Referral STP2018-00340. MCPS and the City of Rockville have created the draft MOU to monitor the impacts associated with traffic, parking, noise, and lighting, and to set the hours of operation. The MOU is also to include joint mitigation measures addressing future impacts that may arise in the areas of traffic, parking, noise and lighting.

The public hearing will be held on Monday, October 7, 2019. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. The agenda and briefing materials will be available beginning Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at the following link: https://www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter/Mayor-and-Council-5.

More detailed information on the above application can be found on file in the City Clerk/Director of Council Operations Office at Rockville City Hall. Persons wishing to testify at the hearing are asked to call (240) 314-8280, before 4:00 p.m. on the day of the hearing to place their names on the speakers' list.

Mayor and Council of Rockville

By: Sara Taylor-Ferrell, City Clerk/Director of CouncilOperations

Today: Baking the Kids on Plastic Football Fields. With the sun out this afternoon.... surface temperature readings of asphalt parking lot, running track, and artificial turf.

Students are standing with a banner at the east entrance of the Board of Education office in Rockville. Their rally to demand climate action from MCPS will start soon.

Students are standing with a banner at the east entrance of the Board of Education office in Rockville. Their rally to demand climate action from MCPS will start soon. pic.twitter.com/S2Csx9PCHM

— Maryam Shahzad (@maryamUMD) September 27, 2019

Gaithersburg HS Student Collapses on Artificial Turf (Heat Island), Left on Field. Meanwhile Gaithersburg HS center of lawsuit over teen who died after denied inhaler in PE class.

Gaithersburg High School football player says he was left on field after getting sick during practice



http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2019/08/mother-alleges-mcps-teacher-denied.html

'He couldn't breathe': How playing soccer on artificial turf nearly killed a teen

Mont. Co. Council LOVES Plastic Fields! 126 Degrees is NOT too Hot, Heat Islands don't Exist, Plastic is Organic, Plastic Pollution is Great.

On Monday, March 4, 2019, the Montgomery County Council discussed legislation proposed in Annapolis to prohibit the use of Program Open Space funds for artificial turf purchases.

Councilmembers Hans Riemer, Gabe Albornoz and Craig Rice used this opportunity to expound on how fantastic big sheets of plastic are for fields and playgrounds.  Nancy Navarro and Sidney Katz voted along with Riemer, Albornoz and Rice to oppose this State legislation.

In their speeches Hans Riemer stated that he thinks cork and zeolite are not as problamatic as tire crumb.  Apparently, skin lacerations and gashes are acceptable to Mr. Riemer.

Gabe Albornoz said that artificial turf is a problem when it gets hot in July and August.  Apparently, a 126 degree elementary school plastic field in October is OK.

Craig Rice thinks MCPS already is now routinely putting down natural grass surfaces.  Apparently he missed the MCPS plan to put a plastic football/soccer field down at every MCPS high school.

None of the 5 supporters of artificial turf said a word about what happens to these massive sheets of plastic when they are worn out in 8 years.

Below is video of the March 4th Montgomery County Council discussion that explains why artificial turf fields and playgrounds will continue to be funded in Montgomery County.

Somerset ES Parents and Mayor Demanded Kids Play on 126 Degree Plastic Surface, and They Got Their Wish @Marc_Elrich

The Somerset Elementary School parents and community (even the Mayor) insisted that the children in their community should play on a very hot, plastic surface at their elementary school.  The parents and Mayor raised money for the plastic field and the Board of Education awarded a no bid artificial turf deal (they threw out the actual bids) to FieldTurf.

The Montgomery County Council supported the installation of the field that would slowly bake the children.

The field went in.

Now we see that the plastic is heating up just as predicted.  On a school day in October, the Somerset ES plastic playground registered 126 degrees. 


Below is the field test report from October 9, 2018.

Somerset Elementary School ... by on Scribd

Somerset Elementary School ... by on Scribd

Video: Elrich, Hucker, Rice, Floreen, Riemer, Katz and Navarro Voting to Install Plastic Fields at Julius West MS, Whitman HS and Einstein HS

Video: Elrich, Rice, Floreen, Katz, Navarro and Riemer Voting to Install Plastic Playground at Somerset ES

2009: FieldTurf Guaranteed RMHS Field would be 100% Recycled and Would Not End Up in a Landfill

What actually happened to the RMHS plastic grass.

In 2009, FieldTurf produced the letter below stating that the Richard Montgomery High School (RMHS) plastic football field and 120 tons of ground up tires (crumb rubber) would be 100% recycled and would not end up in a landfill.

In 2018, the RMHS plastic football field was removed and sent to a landfill in Southern Virginia and to a paint ball field in Baltimore County.

The RMHS plastic grass football field was not "100% recycled" and did end up in a landfill.

Pictures of the removal and dumping of the RMHS plastic grass football field are at this link. (Scroll down for all posts.) 

The Montgomery County Board of Education failed to have the RMHS plastic grass replaced under warranty when the field failed.  Instead, they diverted MCPS Operating Budget funds meant for public school classrooms to pay for the replacement of the RMHS plastic grass football field.  

The Montgomery County Board of Education failed to have FieldTurf honor their commitment to 100% recycle the RMHS plastic grass field.   They are polluting Southern Virginia and Baltimore County.  

These are the Board of Education members that are continually endorsed by major organizations, unions, other elected officials, and news organizations and elected and re-elected into office.  

The dumping and pollution from the removal of the RMHS plastic grass is their actual record in office.  

This is what Montgomery County voters support. 

2010 Artificial Turf Purcha... by on Scribd

“Yes, in this type of weather, the [artificial] turf is going to be 20-25 degrees surface temperature hotter than if they were practicing in the grass,” John Marshall athletics director Robert Chavanek said.

37 band members in Marshall County overwhelmed by heat, taken to hospital

https://wchstv.com/news/local/developing-band-members-overwhelmed-by-heat-taken-to-hospital-in-moundsville

How is that Turf Working for You?

Artificial turf, or plastic grass, is fast becoming the standard for Montgomery County. Soon every high school - and some middle schools and elementary schools, will have the benefit of that ever so good looking green plastic adorning playing fields.

But - we keep asking, is this really good for our kids and others who play sports?

Our neighbors in DC are beginning to rethink artificial turf.

As reported in The Washington Post, 

On Tuesday, the city abruptly closed 15 of its 52 artificial turf fields, saying the rubberized surface was too hard for athletes to use them — with spots that were more like concrete than grass. The closures upended plans for D.C. Stoddert Soccer’s opening weekend and sidelined many of the nearly 6,000 children who play in the city’s largest league.

Fortunately for DC residents, eight of the 15 fields were repaired and reopened by Friday - just a mere three days later. Weather permitting, the rest will be open by Monday.

Do you think that we would get similar service in MoCo?

First - we wouldn't close our fields. Our kids would keep playing on them regardless of the heat, and how high the temperatures climb. 

Second - repairs? We don't do repairs in MoCo. Look at our schools, where are kids are require to receive an education. If the county doesn't repair the air conditioning and heating units in the schools, the county cannot be expected to repair athletic fields, for extracurricular activities.

Finally - work on a weekend? Be serious. Not happening in MoCo. Ever see a snowplow on a weekend when schools have been shut? 

So what's the harm if our kids continue to play on plastic grass that is hard. Again, from the Post article:

Signs posted at closed fields warned users that the surfaces had recently failed a “hardness test” and that “there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a fall on this field.” 

That means when a player falls, the ground absorbs less of the impact and their bodies absorb more, increasing the chance a player gets injured. One study estimated that about 15 percent of concussions in high school sports are due to players hitting their heads on rubberized turf.

So - when your MoCo athlete starts getting more injuries this year, remember - you can always move to DC, where the artificial turf is greener - and a bit softer than in MoCo. 

Football Practice on Artificial Turf. Natural Grass can be 75 degrees Cooler than Artificial Turf.

Heat Waves Bring Warnings About Synthetic Turf Risks

August 2016:

The Synthetic Turf Council, an industry group, warns that, "In direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day in the summer months, the upper layer of the synthetic turf that is exposed to the sun's rays will get significantly hotter than grass."

http://www.courant.com/community/windsor/hc-synthetic-turf-heat-20160813-story.html#

And the Somerset Elementary School artificial turf playground is coming apart. #surprised? #2YearsOld

The picture to the left shows a section of the Somerset Elementary School playground where the artificial turf is coming apart at a seam.

The picture below shows the temperature of the Somerset Elementary School artificial turf playground on July 14th.  Should children be playing on a surface that is 146 degrees?  Do the children go out for recess when the field is 146 degrees during the school year?

The Somerset Elementary School parents were allowed by the Board of Education to raise money to put in their own artificial turf field.  Who is going to be funding the repairs to this two year old artificial grass field?