During the Commission Discussion Session, the Commissioners will be voting on the type of infill to be used at Middle and Wildcat Fields. There is the toxic tire crumb infill and the "organic" infill which is used as a filler to the plastic "blades of grass" and plastic backing. Here is a picture of the backing which can be seen at the high school stadium.
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| Installed July 2010 |
According to the Discussion Session Agenda, the Commission will be voting on assigning more funds to the turf project at Middle and Wildcat Fields. Unfortunately, the Public is not permitted to speak at this meeting, just observe.
The time to speak would be at 8 PM during the Citizen Comments portion of the Commission Regular Meeting. A sign up sheet is provided at the entrance to the Commission Chambers. Residents are given five minutes to speak on any topic. Here is the agenda for tomorrow's Commission meeting.
The latest justification for this project comes from Commissioner John Bendel.
The latest justification for this project comes from Commissioner John Bendel.
Most fields in Mt. Lebanon are diamond-based, which are designed primarily for baseball and softball. Over the last decade or so, the popularity of the sports using rectangular-based fields such as lacrosse, soccer and field hockey has increased significantly. Therefore, the focus of field enhancements has been to expand the number of rectangular-based fields.He wants to strip mine this area, ripping out the natural grass to add toxic turf at a cost of over one million dollars. You decide what shape it is.
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29 comments:
I can accept Bendel's desire to improve
or design a field for rectangular oriented field sports like lacrosse or soccer. Their popularity seems to have grown substantially over the past decade.
I can buy into that and would support that effort.
But, that wasn't the sales pitch for turfing MWC. In fact, if you run a regulation soccer or lacrosse game there it is impossible to hold two games simultaneously.
We've gone through all these lies, all the deceptions and finally Bendel exposes their real intent.
Baseball, softball will get stuck on the same old unkempt grass fields and the lacrosse/soccer people will get their "crown jewel" central location.
That is what it all about. They'll keep the baseball diamonds to keep the high school baseball/softball people happy, but the rest of the baseball/softball groups will be relegated to Brafferton, Howe, Jefferson, etc., and there has been no discussion about improving those fields.
Honestly, the SAB's real name should be Soccer, Lacrosse Advisory Board (SLAB).
Football too.
I can guarantee that 'he who shall not be named" will be getting practice time here.
Softball, and non-varsity baseball are screwed.
You can 'practice' football anywhere, even on plain dirt.
You can use blocking sleds and dummies, even run tire drills on he most rudimentry fields. You can do offensive run- thrus in a gymnasium.
Why on earth would they use a 'crown jewel' field for practice?
If this comment posted under "Bendel on Turf" is indeed true and its Football and Lacrosse pushing turf....
what does that make the advisory board?
The SAB is tragic testimony to the extent a segment of our citizenry will go to in order to deceive and gain an unfair advantage over the rest of us. The SAB was created by a morally and ethically corrupt gang of Commissioners & close personal friends to allegedly represent all sports interests and activities in Mt. Lebanon. In so doing they stacked the membership, whose almost soul actions have been directed toward the turfing of the Municipal wildcat and middle athletic fields along Cedar Blvd. in Mt. Lebanon Park. Read their meeting minutes.
The Commission, claiming in public not to have to accept or abide by advisory board findings of fact, opinions or recommendations, have given the SAB unusual authority and latitude in devising the process and plan for proceeding with the turfing, and have provided a broad array of Municipal staff to support the SAB driven and led effort - Planning, Finance, Legal, Public Works, Recreation, Manager, and of course Municipal Engineer.
The financing of this boondoggle will be at least 75% our tax money and no more than 25% *private* funds allegedly mostly from SAB member organization participants. The management and direction of this egregious undertaking, however, is more like 75% SAB driven and 25% Municipal following.
Wake up Mt. Lebanon !
8:27 The 25% in private donations is toward the "initial" 1 million allocated toward turf. Who knows what the ultimate cost will be and that expense will be paid for by taxpayers.
Sports parents with a conscience should oppose this effort based simply on the desire to avoid supporting the deception that has occurred.
One would think that the State Attorney's Office should be informed as well as the The State Ethics Commission. There are obvious conflicts of interest as well as corrupt financial practices!
Folks make reference to the State AG office and the ethics board ad nasuem. 9:20 if you think that they should be informed, have at it! ...and good luck with that!
The AG wouldn't even go after Philadlphia democrats that apparently took bribes.
Sure they will go after the parties involved in turfing!
Elaine we head off for a conference tomorrow so I'll miss the meeting. Could you please ask a question for me? I want to know what happens if say in another year or so turf is determined harmful and residents in the area and parents demand the field removed who will pay damages and who will pay to remove it? Turfed fields in NJ, New York, California, and Washington are being removed NOW. Read some of the newest autism studies. It wasn't or is it vaccines.
Rob, sorry you can't make the meeting. Here is what I suggest, for what it's worth. Email the commissioners at commission@mtlebanon.org and ask them directly. Forward their response to me, if you get one, and I will post it here.
Rob, they tend to blow me off. Want to see Dave Brumfield roll his eyes? He does that every time I mention Lebo Citizens. Linfante used to go into a rant and would interrupt me, but now that she is president, she tells me that I must sit down because I have used all my time. She docks me for my time that is spent listening to commissioners' answers. If I ask questions during my five minutes, she avoids answering them and tends to respond with, "Thank you. Next person on the list..."
Whenever I email the commission, I don't get a response anymore. I am hearing that I am not alone. They have definitely turned into the school board. Good luck, Rob.
Elaine
I would like to see some close up photos of the grass at Middle/Wildcat.
When I last played softball there about a year ago, it had plenty of holes, divots and craters.
Oh, would you now? I will drop everything and go over there and take some close ups for you. Sorry, I didn't go with my macro lens camera.
Elaine
"Your body is ground zero in the battle over pollution".
- Unacceptable Levels, a new documentary about the impact of toxic chemicals on our health
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVB6XSyBTVE
I love that comment by 11:01!!!
Elanie, hop to it, they want to see some holes and divots in the grass at
MWC.
Your response was much more cordial than mine would've been, Elaine.
11:01, brilliant idea, you want to see the holes and divots, get off your duff and go take them. You're so hot to see 'em.
Or have your friendly, neighborhood PIO send over a Lebomag photographer... maybe Rob Papke.
If I may make a suggestion. If you do get the shots-- make sure they're really, really tight close-ups.
I want to see the stellar maintenance efforts being employed by whatever dept. or group is responsible for fixing things like holes and divots!
I'm confused. Can someone explain to me how they can vote on which infill to go with at this point, when the bids haven't gone out yet, let alone come in. How do they know that an organic infill bidder won't try and low ball the other vendors, in order to get this job??? Further, how can they vote to put more funds towards this project for the same reason? These two items contradict each other - since I presume that they're already projecting that aware that the cost of this project will go above and beyond what they originally expected and thus the need for the additional undesignated funds, and wait...wasn't that the argument for being against organic turf - because it was too expensive??? Oh, and wasn't that the argument for not going forward on Brafferton?? Thankfully for the Commission and SAB, They live in a community where the residents of Mt. Lebanon seem to have unlimited amounts of disposable income to enable these surplus funds!
Two notes Elaine.
1. I don't see anything on the agenda regarding turf up for vote tonight.
2. I do see a bunch of cash being spent on garage repairs...a capital project that we actually NEED.
I do see the discussion session will talk about turf:
Open Discussion Session (Room C)
6:30 P.M.
1. Historic Preservation Board Virginia Manor neighborhood.
6:45 P.M.
2. Deer issues: 1) goal 2) education forum 3) aerial count 4) conference call with wildlife specialist.
7:10 P.M.
3. Updates on: 1) turf 2) Robb Hollow 3) Public Works Master Plan 4) dog park.
7:20 P.M.
4. Use of unassigned fund balance.
7:35 P.M.
5. Review of Regular Agenda items: 1) sidewalk resolution 2) Charter ordinances 3) bids 4) other.
Regarding 11:01s request for photos of the divots and holes in the grass at MWC...
Please read this Field Maintenance Guide from Cranberry. http://www.cranberrytownship.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/16789
Does anyone have photos of similar maintenance procedures being employed on our grass fields?
Can anyone say they've even seen the techinques in the Cranberry Guidelines being used on our fields.
How can they give away field sign revenue to sports groups then call the income from signs on public fences-- private contributions?
Any money from municipal sources is suppose to go directly to the Treasurer for deposit into municipal bank accounts.
Yes, that's it, 1:54 PM. They don't have to vote in the regular meeting. They can decide during the discussion session. It would never go for a vote tonight because John Bendel would not be able to vote in favor of the infill. If Steve would decide on organic, it would be a 2-2 vote and then it would be defeated. They would never let that happen. My guess is that they will choose tire crumb because that is what Dave Franklin wants.
Elaine
The board won't upgrade school fields because they want to put the money into education and small class size. They don't have the budget for both.
Yeah, that's the ticket.
Remember, this is about the municipal fields, not the school fields, 3:16 PM. sigh
Elaine
No it isn't about school fields... ANY MORE, but as of last July the push was to turf and light the Mellon Field, evidenced by Franklin's comment in the Tribune Review. Everyone presumed Brafferton would be improved and Mellon turfing was still being debated. Then in a surprise move, MWC moves front and center and Brafferton is cancelled.
A school field is an important discussion point.
It is also important to keep attention on the sports groups' desire to turf the school district's Rock Pile!
If they win to turf MWC, it will be impossible to argue against turf on a school district field even though that will treble the hazardous chemical exposure to young athletes and the environment.
So while say lead levels at ONE field are in recommend guidelines, are they in the safe zone if the kid is exposed at two fields... the HS stadium and MWC. How about if in the future we add the Rock Pile or Mellon Field?
3:46, it's divide and conquer.
After MWC and the protests die down, Mellon will be turfed.
"LEAD IS A CUMULATIVE POISON!"
http://www.lead.org.au/lanv3n3/lanv3n3-12.html
"Lead is a cumulative poison. Unlike acute poisons, such as chemicals that can kill quickly by attacking the lungs, lead poisoning happens slowly. The lead that is taken in daily, mounts up in the tissues, especially the bones. Blood lead levels mainly show recent exposure (for example, the past few months of exposure) however; lead that is removed from bone is also present in the blood. It is quite possible that a person can have higher amounts of lead in his or her body than looking at the blood lead level would tell us. Because bone is not easily available for measurement of lead, the usual way to tell how much lead exposure a person has had is by chemically measuring the level in the blood."
So if a kid plays one game a week, say at the high school their exposure to lead maybe miniscule. If they play two days on turf you've effectively doubled their exposure to lead that is accumalating their systems. Add three fields and the lead exposures triples.
That is why it is important to keep school fields in the conversation.
Hey 11:01, gotten any photos of those divots yet at Middle and Wildcat?
Did you find any evidence of any after game divot repair as suggested in the linked article?
http://www.sportsfieldmanagementmagazine.com/article-9783.aspx
"Divot repair
Walking across the field during halftime and immediately following a game is an important practice because it offers the opportunity to replace or remove divots quickly. In some cases, if the divot is large enough, it is possible to put the divot back where it came from and compress the area to maximize divot-to-soil contact. The extent to which the divot will reestablish depends upon how quickly it is replaced and the immediate care it receives. The most important factor is moisture, because if divots are allowed to dry out, they will do so quickly and die. For this reason, it is more common to remove divots from the playing surface and later fill in bare spots and holes with a divot mix.
Once the divot and all other organic material (leaf tissue, thatch) has been removed, the bare area needs to be prepped for new seed. On a small scale this can be accomplished with a divot fork or divot repair tool similar to the ones used on golf green divots. The hand-held fork is used to gently lift the surface and surrounding area and create a soil tilth or seedbed. On a larger scale this can be accomplished with a long-handled fork or garden weasel."
You might want to query Muni Mgr Feller, Public Works or the Rec Dept. if this procedure ever gets followed.
Can you imagine, Franklin, Brumfield, Linfante, Silverman or Bendel stooping over at half time to repair a divot?
It is far easier just to spend $1.2 to $1.5 million dollars every 8 years or so.
It is only money.
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