Chapel Hill Converting Youth Soccer Fields Amid Health Risks Study

The Chapel Hill Town Council voted to move forward with a performance agreement with Triangle United Soccer and Rainbow Soccer Associations to convert the Homestead Park soccer fields to synthetic turf at its meeting on Monday.

The council has chosen to move forward with this project despite the previous health concerns that evolved from the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Multiple government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, are continuing to research the potential effects of the recycled tire crumbs that layer the artificial soccer fields.

Photo Via Wiki Commons

Due to some hazardous concerns with the tire crumb-rubber infill, the project has chosen to use a new material called EPDM which is 100 percent recyclable material with studies underway to determine if this new product has health risks itself.

“All of the previous studies that people have heard, people have acknowledged that were ongoing, the EPA has determined them to be, in the past, non-conclusive, but there has been a series of issues coming forward that have questioned that stance,” Director of Parks and Recreation, Jim Orr stated, adding, “The EPA has committed that they would be doing their own studies over a period of time estimated to take two to four years before there is any public information document that would confirm that there is a health hazard or not.”

Jeff Charles, chair of the transportation connectivity board and previous board certified toxicologist wasn’t convinced that the two to four year period would make a difference, “you have to also weigh the health benefit of having six more months where these kids whether that soccer field is a safer place to play on versus the regular turf, the other pesticides, etc. that are on the turf versus this, it’s a very difficult issue but to think that in two to four years you are going to have some definitive answer, I doubt that.”

The council has decided to convert the fields due to the lack of accessibility the current natural turf fields have year-round. The park closes the fields for six months during the summer and winter to conserve the conditions of the natural turf.

Not only will the synthetic turf field enable the ability to have the fields open 365 days a year and provide less maintenance for the upkeep of the field, Orr said, “With this particular project it would allow additional revenue to be placed, as far as rental revenue for the six months that in the past we wouldn’t be renting the facilities.”

Other issues that arose during this meeting were if the facilities were properly equipped for the amount of storm water run-off and if there would be any potentially hazardous chemicals that would affect that water. As part of the agreement, council directed staff to monitor storm-water impacts of the new turf.

This Performance agreement will cost a total of $1 million with $200,000 provided by the town’s bonds funds and $800,000 from the soccer associations.

Chapel Hill Converting Youth Soccer Fields Amid Health Risks Study

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