NJ joins the list of states proposing moratoria on turf

Finally, the day has arrived! Assemblyman Rooney has proposed a moratorium on the installation of synthetic turf, Assembly Bill 2512. Hallelujeh!!!

Getting Rid of Turf Infill (Future Cost Considerations)

Council members push for removal of pulverized tires
from city parks

By ADAM LISBERG
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, March 26th 2008, 4:00 AM

Three City Council members are pushing to get an
estimated 30 million pounds of pulverized tires out of
city parks, saying there are too many unanswered
health questions about using the material in
artificial turf.

"We shouldn't be taking any risks when it comes to the
health of our children, especially when alternatives
are available," said Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Queens),
who will introduce a bill today with colleagues Maria
Baez (D-Bronx) and Letitia James (WFP-Brooklyn).

The bill would ban any more artificial turf fields
that use tiny bits of "crumb-rubber infill" as a
cushion, and would require existing fields to be torn
up and replaced within a year.

The city Parks Department says the fields are safe,
while standing up to heavy use and costing less to
maintain than grass. Ground-up tires contain heavy
metals such as lead and cadmium as well as volatile
organic compounds and other chemicals.

Turf critic Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates
estimates there are 130 crumb-rubber fields in the
city with 30 million pounds of tires - which would
cost millions to replace.

"Tests should have been done before any of this got
into our park system," Croft said.

Evesham on Manalapan's radar...

Perusing the web I found this blog , interesting.

Jumping on the Moratorium Bandwagon

California, New York, Connecticut......the list continues to grow. Check it out.

How green is the greenest of them all? (click)

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all. This article talks about another town in the midst of a turf war. They have been considering Mondoturf with Ecofill as a substitute for the ground up used tires that your typical synthetic turf field would consist of . The Mondoturf is a greener alternative but has not had any independent study yet. It is worth a look though......

Today's BCT

When does "no" mean "no"? Couldn't 1.5million be put to better use? Wouldn't that amount of money be able to address the needs of more than a small fraciton of MRC children? I think it could and it should. Read on

BCT readers respond (click)

It's wonderful to see people have had enough. Read the article and most importantly the reader's responses at the bottom. This is public sentiment and it CANNOT be ignored.

Judge Sweeney rules in favor of the voters...

Judge Sweeney ruled that Township Open Space Fund money should be spent only on township owned property. The Cherokee High School synthetic turf deal is dead. Read on for details..........

Central Record Letter Sums it all Up (click)

It's nice to get an objective opinion on local matters, this one just about sums things up in a clear and concise way. Read on..

The latest from our Telegram (click)

It's up to the Evesham township Council whether or not we spend $60K on a special election. This issue could wait until November and it would cost the taxpayers nothing, nada, zilch. Let our officials know how you feel about this issue. Read on....

Gated Turf Fields??? (click)

One has to wonder whether these turf fields will need to be fenced in to keep vandals out. This is just another issue to consider when contemplating the installation of these fields. Is the cost of fencing included in the astronomical price? What will happen if there is no fence and someone destroys this product? Who will man the security of these fields and do we need cameras to do that? Will the field be off limits to everyone other than MRC participants? Many implications and too little thought has gone into this endeavor. Read on.........

Evesham Residents File Suit .... (click)

Residents question the legality of using dedicated Open Space Funds to put synthetic turf on land we don't own. Read on...