As communities vote on field projects, voters question need for artificial turf

Bond proposals in South Portland, Kittery and Gray-New Gloucester would spend millions to bring artificial turf fields to their schools. District leaders say the grass fields are just in too bad shape to keep up with demand.

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Athletes from South Portland’s cross-country team warm up on the track while other students play frisbee on the grass. A referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot asks voters to approve a $12 million bond to install four synthetic turf fields, replace the track and make other improvements to South Portland High School’s athletic complex. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

Voters in four southern Maine towns are poised to vote on multimillion projects that include adding artificial turf fields, raising questions among community members about the cost and risk of moving away from natural grass.

But supporters of the plans in South Portland, Kittery and Gray-New Gloucester say turf fields are more durable and upgrades to the facilities are needed to meet the demand from teams that sometimes struggle to find field time or have to deal with poor conditions.

School districts in the region are increasingly switching to synthetic fields, so it’s no longer unusual for student athletes to play on that type of turf, said Timothy Matheney, the superintendent in South Portland, where voters are considering a $12 million project to overhaul the high school athletic complex and install four synthetic fields.

“In an ideal world, we’d all like to have grass fields at every school in the state of Maine,” he said. “The reality is, it’s very expensive to maintain grass fields and they cannot take the number of hours for practice and competition that our schools demand of them.”

As school officials advocate for the projects, they’ve faced questions about the cost – especially in South Portland where many residents saw big increases in property taxes this year – and whether the turf includes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as forever chemicals. A state law that goes into effect in 2029 bans the installation of any synthetic turf that contains PFAS.

The projects on the Nov. 5 ballot follow a similar one in Cumberland and North Yarmouth where voters almost shut down a $53.5 million construction bond because it included an artificial field.

This fall, Kittery residents will vote on an $8 million plan to upgrade the Memorial Field Complex, adding more field space and replacing the grass on Memorial Field with artificial turf.

In South Portland, voters will consider three school spending referendums. The largest bond proposal is for $12.3 million to improve the high school athletic stadium complex.

That project would upgrade the 1960s-era track to competition size, install synthetic turf on three playing fields and a marching band field, replace the stadium lights, add restrooms and make other improvements to the complex.

Voters in Gray and New Gloucester, the towns in Maine School Administrative District 15, are considering a $57 million proposal for improvements at the high and middle schools.

If that project is approved, voters also have the option of approving a $702,000 project to install synthetic turf on the competition field at Gray-New Gloucester High School.

MSAD 15 Superintendent Craig King said planning for the project started in 2017, two years after voters rejected a similar proposal for artificial turf. The schools are now “at capacity” in terms of field use, with about 400 students playing sports each year, he said.

“If we’re going to provide all these activities for students, we really need to do some expansion of the fields,” he said.

King said school officials have faced “serious questions” from residents about the needs and costs of the overall project and about the safety of synthetic turf. The district created a webpage with information about the project and scheduled several public meetings, including a forum on Oct. 22 that will include tours.

“From our view, it is safe and it is used on many fields in Maine,” he said. “There’s still the controversy that comes from concerns about safety and potential health risks. We decided rather than telling people what to think, we wanted to allow them to vote on it.”

Todd Livingston, athletic director for South Portland High School, stands at the 50-yard line on the school’s grass athletic field. Livingston says the $12 million bond proposal is necessary to address issues at the athletic complex. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

CONSIDERING THE COST

South Portland school officials planned to bring a proposal to the City Council for consideration in March 2020 after studying the condition of the fields and track and the demand for playing space. The project was shelved for two years because of the pandemic, then brought forward more recently because of the poor conditions, said Jennifer Ryan, who chairs the school board.

Ryan said parts of the track and fields are nearly unusable. The track is not regulation size and cannot host larger meets and the stadium field barely meets the size requirement for a soccer field, she said. Because of the limited space, many teams use fields at the city’s Wainright Recreation Complex.

But the bonds come at a time when many residents are experiencing the sticker shock of higher tax bills after a citywide revaluation adjusted home values.

An example of deterioration on South Portland High School’s running track. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

Robert Schwartz, who has lived in the city for 70 years, said his property tax bill went up 70%. People in the city are concerned about how they’re going to handle those bills, and fear what will happen if there are more increases from the school bonds.

“I’m not saying they don’t need a field and I’m not going to argue if turf is better than dirt,” he said. “But I think it’s very poor timing. Yes, they may need to do something with the field. The bottom line is, it’s too close to the big tax increase.”

Ryan recognizes the timing “is not ideal.”

“I understand that times are tight. It’s a matter of what people are willing to accept and what they’re willing to invest in,” she said. “I can appreciate that for some people this doesn’t feel like a priority for them, but I hope many in the community appreciate the value it will bring to the community.”

In Kittery, some residents have expressed similar concerns about the increased burden on taxpayers.

Rob McDowell, who grew up in Kittery, told town councilors last month that he thinks sports are great for kids, but said the bond reflects “a champagne appetite on a beer income.”

“Do we need Gillette Stadium in Kittery?” he asked.

PFAS CONCERNS

Most of the pushback in Kittery has centered around PFAS concerns and whether synthetic turf fields are safe for students and the environment.

A town committee spent more than two years studying the condition of the fields, the demand for playing space and developing the current proposal.

Rich DeMarco, who chaired that committee, said the fields are in poor condition, lack lights to allow night games, and field hockey players currently play on a field that includes part of a baseball diamond. Lacrosse, baseball and soccer teams fight to play on a softball field, he said during a Sept. 9 public hearing. Student-athletes, parents and coaches say there is a pressing need for more field space.

The committee decided to move forward with plans for artificial turf because it provides the usage equivalent of three natural fields, DeMarco told town councilors. The plan is to use a turf product that is PFAS-free, contains no microplastics and doesn’t use a crumb rubber infill, he said.

“Natural grass just can’t handle the beating we’re giving it,” he said.

Jaime Silverstein, a leader of Kittery Climate Action Now, was among the residents who packed the nearly three-hour meeting to speak out against the use of synthetic turf.

“I think playing time is incredibly important, but it comes at too high of a cost,” she said.

Matheney, South Portland’s superintendent, has heard similar concerns about PFAS, but is confident the turf product he favors using is safe for the students and the environment because it does not contain PFAS and is recyclable. The infill is made of an organic material composed of sand and tiny wood pellets, he said.

“We will not go with a product that introduces PFAS into the manufacturing process,” he said. “While we are all concerned about PFAS, I think there are products in our world that present much greater dangers than the synthetic turf we are exploring.”

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