Public Comment

Transcript (~10 min @ 28:20)

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▶ 28:18 Christopher Cinella: seeing no objection our meeting minutes from May 2nd are proved. And if there's no objection, I'd like to open up for public comment. Seeing no objection. We are now opened up for public comment.

▶ 28:30 Speaker 2: We'll go. We'll go with the WebEx first we have anybody on yep someone

▶ 28:35 Speaker 3: in the queue and I'm gonna

▶ 28:41 Speaker 3: Mr. McSweeney you are you have the floor.

▶ 28:46 Speaker 3: You hear me?

▶ 28:55 Speaker 3: I'm getting nothing.

▶ 28:57 Speaker 2: okay want us to get back to

▶ 29:04 Christopher Cinella: You want to go to someone live anybody here for public comment on if you'd like to come on up Gina if you want to come up.

▶ 29:22 Speaker 3: No sign in anymore. So hi everyone, I'm Gina McNeill with zero waste Melrose. And we are here to I think mainly speak to the agenda item of the artificial turf fields, but I also wanted to just briefly what's okay with Sherry mentioned. A couple of things related to this salt shed that's on the agenda for tonight. I understand that just like an informational thing that will be I think go to committee and come up for more discussion later. But just in terms of you know, thinking about the environmental aspects of Road salts, I think Melrose has a really interesting opportunity right now to think about whether or not you know, the technology of road salt that we've been using for, you know, many years in the past is really the thing that needs to be invested in going forward. So if you do, excuse me, just sort of a search on like Road salts and you know environmental impact abroad salt. There's a ton of research about how damaging applications of road salt in the winter are to the roads the environment, you know gets into Wetlands just you know long Litany of problems, but the good news is that there are their new technologies specifically braining and those types of things that a number of communities in Massachusetts Cambridge Wellesley. I'm sure some others are using with great success and it requires different infrastructure, but it's essentially pre trading the roads with Brian so you don't have to solve them as heavily with the road salt. And so I think before the city of Melrose decides to spend, you know, a million and a half dollars and make this long-term commitment to this very sort of old technology and very environmentally damaging technology with us all the road solid just to make sure that that process includes really stepping back and saying is this just because we've always done Way is that the right way to do this? Is that the right way to spend the money is that the right way to be caring for our environment and all of those sorts of questions. So really just make hope asking the council and hopefully the city as they undertake that process to really take this unique opportunity to do the due diligence and see the delay in the construction of the salt shed to be perhaps an opportunity. more so than

▶ 31:52 Speaker 6: a delay

▶ 31:53 Speaker 3: So that's item one. secondly, we wanted to talk about the artificial turf field or retiring proposed for the Fred Green Fields. Do you want to go first? No you all right and pardon me. I have a little bit of a burn my throat. so Is there any small rose as some of you all may know we gotten interested in the idea of the artificial turf in the City generally because of the proposal to Turf the West Knoll field and in looking that at that whole project we looked at it first and just said, oh well, what kind of you know, is this a waste generating project? And could it be how could the waste produced by it be be reduced? And so that led us to look at the the fact that the you know, all of the material used in an artificial turf field is, you know goes to a landfill or incinerator, right? So the in that's kind of how we how we first got involved in this in thinking about it. But really the problems with artificial turf are like that's just the tip of the iceberg. I sent you all a information package packet in emails late last night that Included, you know some kind of highlight points, but also some information about all the research that's been done on artificial turf and I think it's really interesting that the mayor in his remarks earlier was talking about sort of all of the Investments That Melrose is making to be a healthy community. And it released the fact that an artificial turf field was included on that list. I think really speaks to the deceptive marketing and almost brainwashing that the artificial turf industry has been able to do to many many communities, you know, frankly including Melrose over the years. And so before we make a big investment of and I know 600,000 you guys approve lots of money all the time, but that's a lot of money and it's a commitment not just the money. It's a commitment to this again unhealthy and outdated technology that is not just for the next 10 years, but effectively probably for another 30 years, right? Because we're saying, oh, we just want to keep giving this artificial turf field a long life. So some of the reasons that artificial turf is actually not healthy. If you open up the PDF attachment that I sent with the email there's this handy infographic that just highlights and very simple terms. Why? Isn't healthy and why we shouldn't be thinking about it for our community. So the first one is the infill. So the Fred Green Field has a tire crumb infill. Tire and by the way, all of this comes from extensive research that's been done by the toxics use Research Institute, which is part of UMass Lowell. So I think any time you have a recreational surface for or Recreational facility for Kids that is being studied and documented by an organization called the toxic use Research Institute. That's probably not a great sign. But anyway, so the infill tire crumb contains chemicals that are known to be hazardous to human health and the environment. Number two other materials like the plastic grass fibers toxic chemicals have been measured in artificial grass fibers the shot pads underneath the field. Excuse me can be made with chemicals of concern some of the chemicals of concern that have been found in the plastic carpet fiber in artificial turf are things like pfas. So specifically in Franklin, Massachusetts when they took out Old Turf and it was subsequently actually dumped in a wetland near Franklin presumably because it was too costly for the contractor whoever to dispose of it properly when it was found in the Wetland some independent. Some of it was sent to an independent lab and actually found pfas in that artificial turf. So in that case it was particularly problematic sitting in a Wetlands which feeds into the drinking water of the town of Franklin. But as in trouble, you know pea faster forever Kohl's they're known carcinogens Etc so bad, so Item number three on the infographic is heat. So on summer days artificial turf temperatures have been measured at over 150 degrees a resident Melrose today actually went to Fred Green Fields and took the temperature at the on the surface of the field was 144 degrees. Pretty hot. So when you think about creating heat islands and things like that that we're concerned about with the climate and the environment 144 degrees pretty hot. Secondly. I don't know that most people want our kids out playing on a 144 degree temperature surface due to the you know, burn wrists Etc disposal in most cases artificial turf can't be completely recycled. Typically. It's not recycled and it goes to landfills or incinerated typically at a high cost and then lastly on the infographic is the environment synthetic particles migrate into the environment contributing to micro plastic pollution replacing natural grass reduces habits it for small habitat for small organisms. So these are just some highlights of the environmental and human health concerns that we have with artificial turf field and I think the request here and I apologize by this is all very 11th hour. I know that this process has been ongoing for while that before this decision to re-turf their Fried Green Field is made to really make sure that the due diligence has been done. I'm not suggesting that you the council that it's your job to go and read every research paper and interview all the communities who are having problems with their fields and those sorts of things but someone should do it and that someone should be the folks in the city who are proposing that this retiring is the right idea because presumably, you know, they should do that due diligence. You know, I have they really looked at all of these Studies have they understood by the effects are Etc. I didn't mention the injury data related to artificial turf as well. I know we have limited time for public comments, but I would just really encourage the community as Melrose that we are committed to a healthy community and a healthy environment that this decision to meet her and kind of double down on this decision of the Fred Greenfield is just really not consistent with with our values and goals as a community.