The group “Real Grass is Safer” (RGIS) proposed a warrant requesting that the Town of Boxford vote to enact a moratorium on the construction or installation of artificial turf on any town-owned land, including land in the Masconomet School District, for five years starting on May 15, 2024, and ending on May 14, 2029, or to take any other action relative thereto.

If you plan to vote at the town meeting, do your research.  Speak to members of the School Committee.  Review the Stantec presentation.  Reach out to the Turf Up Committee.  Talk to your School Committee Representative. There is room for conversation, and there is opportunity to work towards a solution that is both environmentally safe and will benefit the school, the students, the athletes and the community. However, if this Warrant Article is passed, all conversation and debate stops for five years.

A five-year moratorium on turf means that this project will not resume until the class of 2029 graduates.  Then, the work will start over from scratch.  This will negate the $449K that just last year, was unanimously approved by all three towns to complete Design, Engineering & Permitting. In five years, there will be more requests for an even greater amount of funds to start the work all over again and we would potentially be 10 years out for new fields at Masconomet High School.

From the documentation put forth by RGIS, it is evident that they did not attend the presentation by Stantec to the Masconomet School Committee in January 2024 nor did they utilize any of the information prepared for the Boxford Conservation Commission.  If they were in attendance, or read any of the materials, then they have intentionally ignored a very important point:

The proposed Masconomet Synthetic Turf Fields would utilize a Natural infill sandmix (not crumb rubber) that has an approved infill migration system with tufted synthetic yarn fibers that have an UNDETECTABLE AMOUNT OF PFAS.

The RGIS presentation was created in an echo chamber that does not objectively support that “real grass is safer,” but instead only serves to reinforces that “turf is bad.”  In some cases, grass is safer, and in some cases turf is good.  But they omit any objectivity and refuse to see both sides of the equation.  Their argument is almost exclusively based on first generation turf products that are not applicable to the current system that Masconomet is proposing for the High School.

RGIS has also failed to understand the issues that are facing Masconomet High School with respect to our current field safety and conditions, utilization, and failure to meet MIAA standards. They believe we seek to prioritize revenue over safety and they have questioned, diminished and dismissed the MIAA guidelines.

Their presentation, summarized:

  • Inaccurately states the Turf Up mission and priorities.
  • Cites player safety issues that are related to first generation turf and crumb rubber infill which will not be used at Masconomet, and most data points were published in 2018 or earlier
  • Provides only one side of the pro-sports/NFL injury argument for grass, instead of acknowledging that the injury data is divided and the experts are mixed on injury analysis. Most of the recent articles cite that original studies were based on first generation turf and in most cases, people acknowledge that turf technology has improved considerably.
  • Extensively explains the issues and dangers of first generation turf and crumb rubber infill technology that has not, and will not, be considered for Masconomet High School and therefore have no bearing on their argument for the moratorium.
  • Questions current recycling of full turf fields. Rightfully so, however, the research generally agrees that this market is evolving.  What is in place today for recycling options will look very different in 10+ years if Masconomet has to replace an entire field at one time.
  • Focuses on a MA Legislative Bill that refers to any turf project that is funded by a state agency or state authority that contains zinc, plastic or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).  Masconomet turf fields will not be funded by a state agency or authority and Masconomet turf fields will not include PFAS chemicals.  Additionally, Turf Up Masco has actively been in touch with the legislature regarding the bill.

Please understand the repercussions of stopping all work for five years.  Then go vote.

The information covered above pertains only to the specific points put forth by RGIS with respect to the Vote in the Town of Boxford on May 14.  It does not cover all the other aspects of grass vs turf, safety, funding, permitting, resources, space, field conditions, field rest, MIAA requirements, etc. that have been covered ad nauseam in prior conversations and debates.