Players scrimmaging on separate halves of the same field could run into one another or could hurt themselves when frequent use of a field leaves the grass full of mud or ruts, they said.
I wonder if the Trib reporter was able to keep a straight face when he included that in his article, Mt. Lebanon pushed to put turf on field. We need more field space because players could run into each other.
I have never heard this threat mentioned at any school board meetings. This is an extremely dangerous situation. This is worse than people having flooded basements and garages. Kids running into each other on a field definitely trumps kids walking to and from school on busy streets that have no sidewalks.
The Descalzi Family made this video and posted it on YouTube.
Those opposed to putting turf on more fields noted other upgrades they thought would make better use of the money, such as flood control or sidewalks in residential neighborhoods.
“I want to specifically request that you put sidewalks on this list (of potential projects),” said Doug Descalzi, one of several residents on and around North Meadowcroft Avenue who said their neighborhood would favor the municipality adding sidewalks to their streets.
“I don't see how you can have this list and not have something like this on it.”
Dave Franklin was quoted in Matt Santoni's article.
“I'm not going to suggest that artificial turf is more important than sidewalks or storm sewers, but I look at fields the same way as any other infrastructure,” said David Franklin, a member of Mt. Lebanon's Parks Advisory Board and Sports Advisory Board. “I don't think the decision to improve fields is a frivolous decision.”Clearly, Commissioners, turfing a school district field is not a frivolous decision. We don't want kids running into each other on the playing fields. This is a top priority over sidewalks or assisting residents with flooding issues. Perhaps the Turf Board can suggest turfing basements next. They could then be used immediately by not having to wait for them to dry out.
27 comments:
First of all, who drives most of those speeding cars on our residential streets, which the police request we don't use as cut through but is promoted by a certain PIO?
Then on the matter of lacrosse. Isn't that a contact sport where kids are suppose to run into each other?
From wiki:
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick. It is a contact sport which requires padding such as shoulder pads, gloves, helmets, elbow pads, and sometimes rib guards. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh designed to catch and hold the lacrosse ball and can also be strung with hard mesh. There are many different styles like Canadian mesh, rocket pocket and normal mesh. Offensively, the objective of the game is to score by shooting the ball into an opponent's goal, using the lacrosse stick to catch, carry, and pass the ball to do so. Defensively, the objective is to keep the opposing team from scoring and to dispossess them of the ball through the use of stick checking and body contact or positioning. The sport has four major types: men's field lacrosse, women's lacrosse, box lacrosse and intercrosse.
I remember a lacrosse Mom school board member who pleaded guilty to speeding on a residential street. She was driving about 50 miles per hour and didn't pay any attention to the speed limit signs.
Its ffunny the veey basic skills that a young player needs to master in any sport before they can move on is to learn to stay within the bounderies, to know where their teammates are and where their opponwnts are. Basically, to focus. But no, no, no we have to keep our babies safe. Best lesson they could learn is they could end up on their backside if they don't keep their head up and stay alert for the unexpected.
Here is a good article from "inside Youth Sports" on how essential learning to keep your head up is in sports.
http://www.insideyouthsports.org/2012/04/to-succeed-in-sports-keep-your-head-up.html?m=1
I found this paragraph especially pertinent--
"Head Up to Avoid Injury
Finally, you must keep your head up to avoid injury. In contact sports such as hockey or football, collisions between players (intentional and unintentional) are part of the game. To lessen their impact and to avoid hurtful hits, you must be aware of player movements and recognize potentially dangerous situations before they occur. Likewise, you also need to be aware of balls, pucks, or other fast moving objects that can cause injury."
There are unfortunately sports people in this town that will say and dramatize anything to get their way. The question is why, what is their motivation to spend huge amounts of money on youth sports over everything else from education to safe streets and essential infrastructure?
Astoturf wasn't ideveloped until around 1964 or 1965. So it must be a miracle that the baby boomers that played sports before or around those dates survived to become parents and grandparents.
Kids will bump into each other sharing a practice field... gimme me brrak.
Since when do kids need mud or ruts to run into each other?
How dumb do the parents think the Commissioners are?
I know, I know, they are rhetorical questions.
Let me open by saying that I have tremendous respect for our police. Unfortunately, I was informed by our police that they are not able to enforce a 25 mph speed limit in Mt Lebanon.
Suppose we have a 25mph speed limit. This is how our policemen explained the problem to me:
1. State law prohibits a conviction if a driver is within 10 mph of the speed limit. (This means that it is pointless to cite up to 35 mph.)
2. When you consider the limited police resources versus the number of speeding vehicles in Mt Lebanon our police will not cite if a car is traveling under 45 mph. (This means that in a 25 mph zone you won't get cited until you are doing at least 46.)
3. The magistrate isn't too keen to impose fines and points in Mt Lebanon because Common Pleas judges tend to reverse his decisions.
4. Drivers can appeal any conviction from the magistrate to Common Pleas Court where Mt Lebanon's funds are limited to fight the appeal and the judges tend to rule against local police.
In other words, nothing happens.
In my opinion, Mt Lebanon municipal employees don't take the speed of the traffic on our streets very seriously either. For instance, read some of the old editions of Mt Lebanon Magazine from the early 90's and you'll see our current PIO's tale of how she deal with her citation for speeding on Banksville Road. You'll also read our prior police chief Frank Brown's angry response to her comments in the subsequent edition.
Maybe we all need to pay better attention to the judges that we put in Common Pleas Court.
Lets require full body armor with concussion proof helmets, padded gloves and steel toed safety boots, safety glasses and ear plugs for every child over age 1 in the bubble to be worn 14/7/365. No bicycles, scooters, roller blades, contact sports of any kind, crossing guards at every intersection in the bubble. Sidewalks on both sides along the entire length of every street, alley, pathway. No unsupervised playgrounds or parks. All children must be accompanied by adults at all times when outdoors.
We just cannot tolerate the risk of children running into one another can we, helicopter parents ? You're all a bunch of flaming idiots !
10:52 not to dight with you, but why do we need to rely on judges or the police.
If the posted speed is 25mph you go 25mph. If there is a stop sign at an intersection, you stop. If the pedestrian light says don't walk, you don't walk.
You know there are deer about, you drive alert for deer.
If you're on a sports field with 20-30 other kids you keep your head up.
What are becoming, a baby municipality wherre we have to be watched and protectd from ourselves.
No, what we need are safe streets and sidewalks that will protect all of our residents. We don't need to piss our money away on turf.
11:23, if a pedestrian tries to fight with a car, the car will win.
We need safe streets and sidewalks - not turf.
Here's a business idea, 11:18. Lets develop a line of Bubblewrap clothing spwcifically for residents living in The Bubble.
It would be a great fashion ststement, and it'll identify you to everyone in the region that you're from Lebo.
If the police can't enforce the posted 25 mph speed limits on residential streets and drivers are going close to double that number on said streets, we'd better do something to see that all lanes are open to traffic at all times.
A tour around Lebo will find many streets clogged with parked cars. This situation lends itself to multi-vehicular accidents and accidents in which kids are struck by cars flying by.
It is amazing how many people will park on the wrong side or heading the wrong way, in front of fire hydrants, etc. I've actually seen cars block sidewalks, forcing walkers into the street.
These risky behaviors should not be tolerated. Something must be done!
Didn't we learn that sidewalks won't protect you from anything.
How many stories have there been - usually from Florida- where cars have jumped curbs for one rraspn or another and pedestrians have been hit.
Then I don't quite understand like deer incidents has there been a sudden surge in vehicle/pedestrian incidents?
What would prevent any homeowner from installing a sidewalk at their own expense? When my sidewalk had a crack in it, Lebo sent someone to repair it and sent me the bill.
11:31 duh, thanks I needed someone to tell me the obvious. Yeah, like I imagined the human body would win out in an impact with a 3,000lb car.
Although I can't tell you many times I've seen pedestrians step off a curb without looking both ways.
Doesn't matter if they have a Walk sign or not if the car hits tjem they're going to lose.
The driver may be daydreaming, on the cell, texting, DUI or having brake failure.
You can design all the safety features imaginable, if people don't pay attention at some point an accident is going to happen.
I've often wondered why joggers insist on running in the street when there ARE sidewalks at 5,6,7 inthe morning when its still dark. They dress in dark clothing, run in the same direction as traffic and across intersections assuming they have the pedestrian right-a-way and that drivers have seen them.
If the homeowners want a sidewalk they can form a public/private partnership and raise the funds. Until they do they are just another FREE LUNCH special interest group.
12:31 PM, so people asking for sidewalks are just another special interest group? I know you are against dog parks. I guess whoever asks for municipal money is a special interest group, right? The $800,000+ unassigned fund is burning a hole in commissioners'pockets (except Matt Kluck.) What is your solution?
Elaine
Yes...yes...yes....12:18 pm thank you for showing me the light! You have a very valid point - when you think about it we can't protect ourselves from anything and since we are all dead in the long run (death is the ultimate outcome in all of our lives) we really shouldn't bother with things like: safety measures, medical care, ... hell, why even educate the masses? Let's just elimimate teacher pay and extinguish the notion of turf right now?
Afterall, no matter what we accomplish while we are alive we all exit the world the same way, right?
Oh come on 1:08, sure you do things to protect yourself, but at some point you just have to use common sense.
We have Walk/Don't Walk signs at major intersections on Washington, a good idea and they serve their purpose when pedestrians and vehicles follow their respective signals and stay alert.
But suddenly, someone misses a signal, and someone gets hit. What will the next safety feature be... Railroad style pedestrian crossing gates with red flashing lights and bells?
Maybe we should be elevated pedestrian bridges all over the community so cars and pedestrians never have to share the road.
I like sidewalks, think they add a certain style to a neighborhood, but do I think they are an absolute necessity... no way.
I'd suggest this compromise. The commission should set aside some of the unused funds, bank it for a sidewal fund pool.
Lets say you live on a street w/o a sidewalk. You convince a majority of neighbors to petiition the municipality to put in your side walk. The commissioners cover their 50% from the pool and you pay your share.
I understand that's basically the same deal homeowners face when their sidewalks need fixed.
Sound fair? I know on my street I've yet to hear anyone clamor for sidewalks, so why should we hve to put one in because someone demands we have too?
1:08 here's where your logic goes a stray.
You write: sarcastically: "when you think about it we can't protect Ourselves from anything..."
Where do you come up with this kind of logic? When you go to the mall, how do you get from your parked car to the stores? Do they have sidewalks and crossing signals in every aisle? Or do you stay alert, stop and look both ways before crossing the main aisle?
As a driver, do you blast thru the lot at 35 mph or do you slow down, watch for kids and adults walikng between parked cars? Do check and double check your mirrors and look both directions nefore backing up?
So you CAN do things to protect yourself. If you want to splurg on backup cameras by all means do so, just don't force everyone to buy them. Same with sidewalks. I have no problem walking on moat of our residential streets, my kids didn't either and none of us lived in fear of being run down everytime we left our hiouse.
1:08 are you actually saying death is inevitable in Mt. Lebanon because we don't have turf?!
Well, one things has become apparent here. There are some "wingnuts' that contribute to Elaine's blog. Their just not ones many think they are.
The deer aren't as dumb as some people think they are.
Several evenings ago (it was still light) I witnessed a doe trying to cross Washington Road to reach Bird Park. She stepped out into the roadway about five ft. before realizing that the southbound traffic had resumed travel after being stopped at the light at Mayfair.
She turned right around and waited on the sidewalk.
To their credit, the southbound drivers slowed down, too.
If people were observing the posted speed limits, concentrating on driving and not texting or chatting on their cell phones, the accidents involving deer would decrease dramatically. Laying off the booze and drugs would help, too.
We can do better, folks.
3:48... 1:08 would have ypu believe that unless the government spends millions of dollars building safety zones there is nothing you can do to keep yourself from getting hurt.
Kids can't share a field for practice because they'll run into each other. (Never mind that many residents share the high school field for traditional Thanksgiving neighborhood football games.) I've seen 3 or 4 different games going on at one time.
People can't stroll around their sidewalkless neighborhood for fear of becoming a pdestrian fatality.
One can't have a garden or landscaping because herds of ravenous deer are lurking behind every tree just waiting to pummel them with sharp hooves and spear-like antlers.
I'm surprised 1:08 manages to get out of bed everyday. What are the statistics for falls and serious injury in the home?
Perhaps we should use the $700,000 to hire every MTL resident a 24hr caretaker/bodyguard/chauffer.
I want to take my sidewalk out.
For Parents,
Going to bed at the same time every night could give your child's brain a boost, a recent study found.
Researchers at University College London found that when 3-year-olds have a regular bedtime they perform better on cognitive tests administered at age 7 than children whose bedtimes weren't consistent. The findings represent a new twist on an expanding body of research showing that inadequate sleep in children and adolescents hurts academic performance and overall health.
Of course, nobody will run into another kid in football.
Dumb argument probably convinced the commissioners they are right.
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