ORDER-2022-108 : An Appropriation From Free Cash, Account Number 01-324001, in the Amount of Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000) to Parks - Turf Replacement, Account Number 014753-551177

Transcript (~8 min @ 51:00)

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▶ 50:52 Speaker 1: Order 2022 -108 and appropriation for free cash account numbers zero one dash three two, four zero zero one in the amount of 600,000 to Parks Turf replacement account number zero one four seven, five three dash five five one one seven seven.

▶ 51:13 Jen Grigoraitis: How's the greatis Mr. President? This order comes from the Appropriations and oversight committee with the recommendation for passage and I would motion for Passage.

▶ 51:19 Christopher Cinella: passage made by Council grigoritis Circuit seconded by councilor pay any discussion councilor Williams

▶ 51:27 Ryan Williams: I just wanted to thank the folks from zero waste Melrose who came out here tonight. I have a lot of the same questions you do. And I would love to have answers to the questions. But unfortunately we weren't provided with the opportunity to learn those answers. I think everybody shares the same goal of making sure that our kids have access to sports opportunities and that they have those opportunities in a safe way both my kids play soccer. Um, I've had a turf-based ligament injury myself from playing sports as a kid. and I think I I find it hard to believe that we can move forward with a 600,000 appropriation with no discussion of Alternatives. No discussion of what an alternative might cost or even a simple report from any organization like the UMass. The UMass Turf Clinic that comes out and we'll do evaluations of soil and grasses and try to help cities figure out how to avoid using artificial turf. I understand that it's easy and it's cheap and I've worked in the environmental space for a long time and I could Fill many many chapters of many books with all of the ways that we have made missteps by doing what's easy and cheap and fast. And so with that I understand that we have votes to pass, but I can't support this.

▶ 52:51 Speaker 2: Anybody else on discussion?

▶ 52:54 Jen Grigoraitis: Council Uranus thank you, Mr. President. I want to Echo councilor Williams Commons and we had a lot of Engagement from the public which is always great to see I think there was some acknowledgment that this is at the very end of the process, which I think can be challenging for all of us. I think some great points were raised tonight and going forward. I I would certainly appreciate a more holistic approach from the city that involved experts from our department of health sustainability the Conservation Commission as we weigh issues around groundwater and athlete safety. I don't think those are necessarily within the purview of the parks commissioner and DPW which is who we heard from. I also recognize that we have a binary choice that is what is presented to us. However, frustrating or imperfect that may feel I don't think 600,000 is going to create a new field and I think there are real impacts in our communities health and well-being if we don't have a surface to use at Fred Green, I'm already concerned about what the impacts will be next summer when that field is likely out of commission as we talk about increasing Rec programming to help our youth so I am Also not thrilled with the choice that's before me but recognize that we have to make hard decisions within imperfect information all the time. So I will be continuing to support it, but would certainly welcome more information when we take up things like the salt shed going forward.

▶ 54:11 Speaker 2: Anybody else on discussion?

▶ 54:14 Jack Eccles: Councils thank you Mr. President. I think that you know, this is a like one of our many long-term capital projects and I see this is kind of routine maintenance and not a way and not an opportunity to reassess what we're going to do with this because we weren't expecting to keep it for 10 years. We're just replacing the carpet and we're going to be keeping the infill. So there's a lot that goes on to that goes on in if we were to switch to natural grass. I tried to do a little bit of research to find. Can examples of communities that have gone from Turf back to natural grass and I haven't really had much luck with that. I think it's going to be a much larger discussion. It's definitely going to be in this Council and hopefully with some public input going forward along some of the other fields, but I will also be sticking with the vote. I took in the Appropriations Committee and supporting this.

▶ 55:02 Speaker 2: counseling

▶ 55:04 Leila Migliorelli: thank you, Mr. President. Thank you counselor triggeritis and Eccles. You basically said a lot of the comments that I had tonight. I do recognize and appreciate the the public comment around this decision as I I think I've stated before I like to do thorough research. I like to make sure I'm well prepared. It's really hard to engage in this binary decision and with sort of last-minute information. I agree with counselor Eckles that this is a replacement. My impression was that the impact would be less than on the environment putting aside player safety And so therefore I will not be changing my vote either and but similarly look forward to a more robust conversation. Not only about the environmental impacts of all of our projects and maybe perhaps including some other stakeholders when we're making these decisions to provide us with information because you know, unlike console Williams not all of us are environmental experts. It's so we need a little bit of help in secondarily. I still I think from the last meeting I still have some questions regarding Allocating free cash without more information about the total project costs and having a total budget in front of us that to me is something that I'd like to see some teachers do moving forward. But as we are right now if we vote no on this, you know, it tables the conversation for six months and and I'm not I don't feel like I'm into position to to go back on my original decision. Thank you Council jamalogy. Thank

▶ 56:42 Maya Jamaleddine: you like many of my colleagues. I'm also torn with this decision. I tried to get more information and details during the loss appropriation meeting. Unfortunately, it was left unanswered and the more I think about it.

▶ 57:01 Maya Jamaleddine: I know that we are the cost. If we don't pass it, it's going to be probably losing one year of no practice and limiting athletes. However If I'm gonna compare it to the harm and the amount of years that's gonna harm that's going to cause for our community. It's going to be way more than one year. I cannot support this and that's why unfortunately I'm going to have to back up.

▶ 57:37 Manjula Karamcheti: Because kimchi first. I also just wanted to thank zero waste Melrose for sharing information and making sure that we had more data and information regarding some of the issues related to turf fields. I appreciate that and struggling with getting it last minute and that we do have a binary decision to make my colleagues have said so many things that I also wanted to say, but what I am hoping Is that we can consider when we're thinking about the L Pond Park area in particular the null and the Cabbage Patch. The youth voice has expressed very much the desire for those fields to be more usable more accessible and for our kids to have more spaces and places for a variety of recreation. And so that has sort of come up for me and thinking about Fred Green. How do we move forward thinking about all our key stakeholders thinking about the environmental impacts thinking about athletes safety but also about equity and access so that more kids and more families and more members of the community are able to utilize our parks and recreational spaces closer to home and not having to travel so far. So how might we build that into our future plans when we think about Capital Improvement.

▶ 58:58 Speaker 2: Thank you anyone else?

▶ 59:02 Speaker 2: And clerk call the roll counselor Eccles.

▶ 59:06 Speaker 3: Yes counselor. Garapay. Yes counselor. Grigoraitis. Yes Council. Jamaladin. No council. Caramchetti. Yes councilman McMaster. Yes Council. Migliorelli. Yes counsel, o'brimski. Yes counselor Stuart. Yes counselor Williams. No president. Sonella. Yes. 9 yes