http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/how-safe-artificial-turf-your-child-plays-n220166
I sent this to the commissioners and school board directors this evening:
Fwd: Artificial turf project 
| From | egillen476 egillen476@aol.comhide details |
| To | commission commission@mtlebanon.org, schoolboard schoolboard@mtlsd.net |
| Cc | sfeller sfeller@mtlebanon.org, TSteinhauer TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net, philip.weis philip.weis@bipc.com |
I had sent this email to you folks, previously. I heard back from NONE of you. It will be on NBC Nightly News tonight at 6:30 PM. Please watch it and UNVOTE the turf project on Wildcat and Middle Fields. Please nix turfing the Rock Pile. What does it take to get your attention concerning toxic turf?
Elaine Gillen
-----Original Message-----
From: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
To: commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; schoolboard <schoolboard@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Tue, Sep 16, 2014 6:50 pm
Subject: Artificial turf project
Dear Mt. Lebanon Commissioners and School Board members,
Please "unvote" the ill-fated Wildcat Field artificial turf project. I received the following press release, CONSUMER GROUP WARNS SCHOOLS AND TOWNS OF NEW QUESTIONS SURROUNDING ARTIFICIAL TURF SAFETY
The Artificial Turf Project, or as you like to call it, "Field Enhancement Project" has been a problem since Day 1. Lack of transparency concerning funds, the secret Turf Project Task Force meetings, intimidation tactics used at the Not For The General Public public meeting, the official statements from the Parks Advisory Board and the Environmental Sustainability Board who are in opposition to the project, an "unbiased" presentation at Mellon Middle School with Dr. McNitt - who has his private consulting business and partnership with FieldTurf, the deficiencies identified by the PA Department of Environmental Protection and Allegheny County Conservation District, the fabrication that personal donations are at risk while knowing that contracts clearly state that the donations are nonrefundable and will be used for future field improvements, the Commission President's "misrepresentation" of the ESB's position, the Commission's tunnel vision in regard to the health, safety, and environmental issues as presented by residents, and the use of municipal staff for raising non-municipal funds.
PLEASE take the time to read the 09.15.14 Press Release linked in the first paragraph. PLEASE consider the new questions surrounding the safety of artificial turf. PLEASE unvote the Wildcat and Middle Artificial Turf Project.
Elaine Gillen
How Safe is the Artificial Turf on Your Child's Sports Field?
I started crying while watching the segment on turf and am angrier than ever with the four commissioners who ignore those of us who have been trying to warn them about the dangers of artificial turf. I am angry with the Sports Advisory Board and its subgroup, the Turf Project Task Force. No doubt, Dave Franklin is crafting another letter saying that artificial turf is safe. As Coach Griffin said, "I would love to be proved wrong."
For those of you who follow Andrew McNitt on Twitter, tonight was not a good night for him, thanks to the NBC Nightly News report on artificial turf.
Update October 9, 2014 9:22 AM
Debate grows: Is artificial turf bad for kids’ health?
In communities across the U.S., natural grass has been replaced with turf, which millions of children play on. Some are concerned the turf could be making people sick. NBC’s Stephanie Gosk reports.
http://www.today.com/video/today/56202605
Morning Joe on MSNBC
Of course we wouldn't get a heads up from the "reputable" PIO on information on a hotly debated topic here in the bubble.
ReplyDeleteCould it be they have no control over the information that mighyt appear in the story?
Mr. Brumfield are you going to stick to your argument that there isn't any disconcerting information about turf?
ReplyDeleteMt. Lebanon will blacklist NBC and require employees not to watch any programs or buy any advertised products or services (they will be monitored).
ReplyDeleteOtherwise people will not move here, real estate prices will tumble, taxes will skyrocket and curly hair will be prohibited. It's for the children.
Any Commissioner who supported the Turf Project, and/or The Newcomer's Tax, should be rendered unelectable due to incredibly poor judgment at this point.
ReplyDelete- Jason M.
Lets hope that Channel 4 sees this and goes ahead and airs what they have filmed!
ReplyDeleteHyperlinks in 10:25 PM's comments.
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/impactoflivingnearhighway
http://tinyurl.com/mcnittgetsmclit
https://twitter.com/jjsteven6/with_replies
Elaine
Did you all catch this in the report?
ReplyDeleteThe New York City Parks Department and the Los Angeles School District stopped installing crumb rubber turf.
Elaine
Didn't McNitt tell us he isn't a health expert? So why is he making comments about a health issue?
ReplyDeleteReminds me of another PSU expert in his field, Michael Mann.
http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2014RS/fnotes/bil_0003/hb0123.pdf
ReplyDeleteWe need a bill like this! Maryland House Bill 123
"This bill prohibits the use of State and Local Program Open Space (POS) funds to build new or replace existing athletic fields with artificial or synthetic turf surfaces."
"This bill takes effect July 1, 2014."
NBC spent a month putting together a report that mirrored what some of us have been saying for years. Yet, the handful of jockstrap-sniffing miscreants that include a couple has-beens and some mediocre attorneys somehow cling to their turf fantasy.
ReplyDeleteGive it up, boys. Even if you magically get the plastic installed, you are opening up the town to serious liability including the commissioners who, despitr overwhelming data that people dont want it AND it poses a health risk, keep pushing this bad idea.
My question is--where are all the environmentalists? They seem to be very selective about their targets. But Im calling them out right now. Clean Water Action, Penn Future, GASP, Sierra Club and the rest: either you stand for the environment or you don't. If you do, get involved. If you don't, then go away. Forever. If there is any project or notion that is offensive to nature, ripping out perfectly good grass that has been used for decades to replace it with plastic and crumb rubber while causing the runoff to go directly into a local watershed, this is it.
Did anyone happen to see the segment called "Turf Wars. Is Artificial turf safe for our kids?" on the Today show this morning? I missed it. A reader emailed me about it.
ReplyDeleteElaine
Don't forget the school board and administration, 7:26. They've spent decades indoctrinating kids about climate change, environmental pollution, planting trees, saving the birds and beers while on the other hand they're going to support ripping out oxygen producing, carbon dioxide absorbing plants and creating a giant heat sink that will poison our waterways.
ReplyDeleteIt's for the kids don't ya know!
Beers?
ReplyDeleteElaine
Specifically, 7:26 where is the health concious, environmetal-wise school board president, Ms. Cappucci on the turf issue?
ReplyDeleteApparently, one must assume her silence and vote to join in maintaining the turf at WC/M means she's OK with plastic grass.
Would YOU let your kids play on it if there was a chance they'd get Cancer? Frightening. Commissioners need to air on the side of caution.
ReplyDeletehttp://home.howstuffworks.com/green-living/green-kids-artificial-grass.htm
ReplyDeleteWhere are the young moms and dads whose kids will be playing on this stuff?
Are they OK gambling with their kids' health, because Brumfield, Franklin, Bendel, Linfante and Gateway say turf- - as far as they know - is safe?
Lemmings! You certainly don't want to poke the sleeping bear.
Guess what, parents? The turf war controversy isn't limited to what's on the ground.
ReplyDeleteI understand there's plenty of hazardous stuff inside those helmets the kids use to play hockey, football, etc.
These companies are making money at the expense of your kids' health.
I think "beers" was a parapraxis. @8:50
ReplyDeleteOn "Morning Joe" of MSNBC, they aired another story on this topic this morning. After watching/listening, the anchor stated, "There is no way I'd put my child on that...".
ReplyDeleteSigh.
Maybe Mt Lebanon Commissioners and School District can begin requiring passports to the "bubble" so we know what we are getting into by moving/living here.
Do you ever think the day will come that our commissioners and their sports advisory boards will come forward and say something like—
ReplyDelete'Based on this recent disconcerting national news story there is a real possibilty that our position on artificial turf is all wrong.
We don't think we're wrong, hope we aren't wrong, but unfortunately much to our chagrin, we may be.
Therefore, we are suspending any further work on artificial turf until we get to the bottom of all the research. It is after all in the best interest of our children.
We apologize for the expenditure of time, money and the divisive atmosphere we've created in the community and will do our utmost to correct everything. We will make it right!'
No, more than likely they will follow the lead of School Board Director Cappucci when confronted by the evidence prepared by the 12 hand-picked high school renovation advisory board members (CAC) proclaimed something like— I have no intention of revisiting [the design of] building C!
No they'll shrug their shoulders, huddle up and look for an end run to get them to their goal line.
The problem with eggheads like McNitt they fail to realize there are no practical alternatives to rubber tires for cars and trucks.
ReplyDeleteUnless of course he wants us to revert back to wagons with wooden spoked, iron rimmed wheels.
With sports fields there is a simple, basic alternative... keep them natural grass.
Think we will ever see a meaningful poll on our "reputable" Lebomag website?
ReplyDeleteSay something like:
Do you think we should still put artificial turf in at Wildcat/Middle Field?
No our curly-haired PIO wants to know if you'd like to see Bimbo's, Isalys or The Buttery return to the bubble.
Readers: Please consider taking the links to this blog and passing them along to your friends, neighbors in Lebo.
ReplyDeleteNo one will be able to do this individually we all have to do our part and pass this information along to as many residents as we can. Anyone that anticipates having a child on this turf or coaching or watching the kids play ought to have full knowledge of the dangers this turf could expose them to.
I went back through the blogs from Elaine and Commissioner Fraasch. Re-read them, get informed and inform your neighbors before the turf is placed at Main Park. I will, will you?
Elaine thanks to you and Commissioner Fraasch for standing your ground.
Hey Brumfield!
ReplyDeleteThe advice from your Sports Advisory Board, how would you eloquently put it-- "SUCKS!"
Get rid of them now.
So how many of you will come to the commission meeting on Tuesday evening and say something to the commissioners? They don't listen to me and I usually get a ration of sh*t from Kristen Linfante.
ReplyDeleteElaine
Elaine I would LOVE to attend Tuesday's meeting but that's the night our clinic is opened till 9pm. Reason we are now treating so many 6-12 year-olds with head injuries especially concussions. Next Tuesday a new piece of equipment that cost a pretty penny is arriving that is for the sole purpose of treating these kids. To them it's like playing a video game. Parents better WAKE UP! Let kids be kids. They aren't professional athletes. I remember all the kids on the street getting together for a pickup game of baseball. We made our own rules. Made our own "calls" and learned to do things without the umpires and coaches. Enough is ENOUGH!
ReplyDelete2:54, the kids in their pick up games probably had more fun, picked up more skills and learned how to interact socially without mommy or daddy doing everything for them.
ReplyDeleteI was always dumbstruck while coaching the kiddies that we couldn't keep score in the games lest we hurt someone's feelings.
It was ludicrous because the kiddies knew what the score was. It was the moms who were clueless!
Any lawyers reading this? Can Brumfield and Franklin be held accountable if turf is found to be dangerous? Both are on record saying it is safe and now we have the liberal media reporting it's not. Brumfield can't cry it's Fox News and lies.
ReplyDelete"Lawyers occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." — Winston Churchill
ReplyDeleteAn appropriate analysis of our situation if I've ever read one.
Isn't it funny that we needed to wait until October 8th to get a "reputable" warning that there may be serious health concerns about artificial turf.
ReplyDeleteAnother case where our PIO could have been ahead of the curve with "public information."
Did anyone hear these warnings in the June Turf Information Meeting?
9:03 AM No, not about soccer goalies, but two resident Ph.D's testified in public on the health risks. The Commissioners, staff and SAB/TPTF paid absolutely no attention to their warnings.
ReplyDeleteThe muni relied entirely on their hand picked McNitt and questionable studies sponsored by the artificial turf cabal from 2008 and earlier.
They're all culpable.
9:03 AM, oh but our PIO WAS ahead of the curve. She acknowledged the potential harmful effects on page two in her email to Andrew McNitt where she directed McNitt not to discuss it. Morgans McNitt emails
ReplyDeleteElaine
I want to share a June 2014 email exchange that I had with Darren Gill, VP of FieldTurf, since he was mentioned in the NBC report.
ReplyDeleteElaine
9:15 the NBC story featured goalies, but it also mentions a couple of non-goalies coming down with health problems.
ReplyDeleteThe whole story was about the potentially harmful effects of turf and crumb rubber.
You are correct that our leaders chose to ignore evidence presented directly to them. Remember Sgt. Schultz's response that he "hears nothing, sees nothing" on turf issues.
Elaine, you are of course correct as well. Our esteemed and oh-so-reputable PIO seems to have set out to HIDE information from the public and did so on the public dime.
Wouldn't that be contrary to her position as a municipal public employee?
I know in my private industry job, if it was found out BY MY EMPLOYER that I was plotting to withhold information from them, I'd be out of a job real quick.
Yep Elaine, Morgans is very adamant that health issues are not to be discussed. She capitalized "NOT".
ReplyDeleteAdd Ms. Morgans to the expanding list of defendants.
ReplyDeleteCommission. Sports Board.
On May 23rd, Morgans writes to McNitt: "I really don't expect a large crowd, as we have not had a lot of time to publicize it."
ReplyDeleteThe meeting was scheduled for June 12th, nineteen days away!
Wondering, does her crowd expectation speak more about the reach and effectiveness of the PIO office or is it evidence of foot-dragging by our municipal leaders?
After all turfing was and remains a pretty contentious issue in the community.
Wonder how many weeks in advance did notice of the infamous "What the Kluck" town hall that packed the commission chamber and drew a large crowd out on the street?
ReplyDelete12:55 A M,
ReplyDeleteIt would be ironic for a personal injury attorney to be sued for personal injury to a child.
What I don't get is parents just ducking out on this issue. We see parents come in with their kid for concussion therapy and ask repeatedly when can their kid return to soccer/football/lacrosse. They are 8 to 12 years OLD!!! The other week a Dad called his kid a "Wuss" because he didn't want to play soccer anymore. I felt so sad for him. He has double-vision, constant headaches, and nausea. He was a straight A student that now has trouble reading. Is this worth it? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteBad week for Penn State.
ReplyDeleteAll this plus the beating Andrew McNitt got on Twitter about his comments following the NBC Nightly Report.
Elaine