AMHERST — The municipal Board of Health unanimously voted on Thursday to recommend against using artificial turf at the proposed $5 to $6 million high school athletic complex “at this time.”
The 4-0 vote is a recommendation to the Town Council and was a response to a verbal request in October from the council’s Finance Committee, Board of Health Chair Nancy Gilbert said at the board’s meeting Thursday.
The board, in taking this action, noted that a local BOH is required by state law to “protect the public health and environment from damage and pollution,” Gilbert said.
Board member Maureen Millea said “I don’t support” using artificial turf “at this time. It looks like a problem” and there is growing public awareness about potentially toxic ingredients in the material, she said.
”Just now, the corner seems to be turning — you shouldn’t jump on the bandwagon when it is going off the cliff,” Millea said.
Member Timothy Randhir likened substances in artificial turf to DDT, in the sense that, “in 1960s we were accepting DDT when awareness was not there” about the pesticide’s harm, he said.
”Our opinion is not to support artificial turf at high school athletic field at the present time,” Gilbert said. During the meeting, she said it was once considered socially acceptable to smoke cigarettes indoors just about everywhere without regard to public health concerns.
Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee voted in March to request $1.5 million from the four regional towns, that also include Leverett and Shutesbury, to build a new track and field complex at the high school.
The school board vote is contingent on artificial turf. An Amherst Town Council vote in May said yes to the school’s request, and in July voted to add $800,000 more to the project using community preservation act funds, contingent on using artificial turf.
On Monday, the council appropriated another $900,000 toward the project from the town’s “free cash” reserves. Its Dec. 5 motion included language for artificial turf or grass. During recent council meetings, there has been no consensus on whether artificial turf is safe, with officials and numerous members of public voicing comments for and against.