Artificial turf revisited

An ad hoc group of students and high school parents converged on the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Board of Education meeting Sept. 2 to call on district officials to reconsider their 2007 stance against synthetic-turf football fields at Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham high schools.

Roughly 250 parents and their children attended, with young people donning Merrick Police Activity League, Merrick-North Merrick Little League, Bellmore Braves and Calhoun football jerseys.

In response to recent calls for artificial turf, Board of Education President Diane Seaman announced at the meeting that the district was forming a committee to explore ways to improve the high schools' football fields. She noted that the committee would look not only at synthetic turf, but also at ways to upgrade maintenance of the current grass fields.

"It's not just synthetic turf that we're talking about," Seaman stressed.

She said that the committee and its subcommittees would report to Superintendent Henry Kiernan, who would issue a recommendation to the Board of Education in the coming months.

Anyone interested in joining the committee is asked to submit a letter describing their interest and expertise to the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Board of Education, 1260 Meadowbrook Road, North Merrick, N.Y. 11566, by Sept. 16. The first committee meeting is scheduled for Sept. 29 at 6 p.m.

Proponents of artificial turf say that it would allow continuous play on the fields, and eliminate concerns about damage when played on in rainy weather. They also say it would reduce maintenance, including watering and fertilizing.

Opponents say its high cost would force the district to raise property taxes at the outset. And a number of health and environmental groups continue to question whether the turf is potentially hazardous, despite a recent report that it is safe.

Skip Haile, a founder of the parent group Time for Turf, said the Central District's new committee is "a wonderful step in the right direction."