LYME/OLD LYME — UPDATED 10/21: Zoom link now added: Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools will present a Public Forum on their proposed artificial playing surface, Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 p.m.
The forum will be held via a Zoom Virtual Meeting at this link:
Meeting URL: https://region18.zoom.us/j/83122658732
Meeting ID: 831 2265 8732
This meeting is virtual with no in-person attendance.
Community members are encouraged to attend the public forum on the proposed artificial playing surface on the LOL Schools’ main campus.
The agenda includes a brief overview of the project, a presentation by the engineering and design firm working on the proposed project, followed by questions from attendees.
This artificial turf will cost 2.5 million for a setup that could last 8-12 years. That’s 200K to 300K a YEAR, which doesn’t take into account the costs of maitenance and upkeep for the field during that time.
And this is on top of spending money on new tennis courts.
This is happening when the superintendent clearly is unequipped to handle supporting all learners and teachers during a pandemic.Why aren’t we putting that money towards supporting and expanding our teachers, who are working harder than they need to because of poor leadership?
When are we going to stop spending money on stuff and things, and start supporting people?
We can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Where do we stand with this project? A number of residents closely adjancent to the Duck River Marsh have concerns about the safety of the materials being used for this. A recent study conducted by Yale Scientists and published in The Journal of Environmental Researchin 2019 noted that: “of the 306 chemcial constituents of crumb rubber infill (Turf Fields)…197 of the identified 306 chemcials met our priori carcinogenicity criteria. Of these, 52 chemcials were also classified as known, presumed or suspected carcinogens by the US EPA and ECHA…..several high priority carncinogens were indentified, including benzene, benzidene, benzo(s)pyrene, trichloroethyyene and vinyl choride….”
As a resident of Library Lane, I am deeply concerned with the runoff that will come from this project. What about our wells? Can the Town of Old Lyme guarantee the safety of our drinking water? I think a much more in depth discussion needs to take place before this moves forward.