The Montgomery County Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the construction of an artificial turf field at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac.
If approved by the County Council, which is expected, it would be the sixth artificial turf high school field in the county. The work at Shepherd Stadium would be completed by next spring, according to a memo from Superintendent Joshua Starr.
Board member Christopher Barclay said he believes the new turf field will benefit the school. “Now the issue becomes, how can we keep from being bad neighbors?” Barclay asked.
Critics of other turf field deals in the county contend the school system gives too much access to private athletic groups for use of the field over the local community.
Bethesda Lacrosse and the Potomac Soccer Association agreed to provide $1.05 million for design and construction of the field in exchange for 1,000 hours of use per year for 10 years, according to the memo.
The Winston Churchill High School Booster Club also pledged $250,000 to meet the field’s expected cost of $1.3 million, according to Starr’s memo. Any costs beyond the $1.3 million would be paid with savings from the previous cost of maintaining the grass field, according to the memo.
The agreement with the private athletic groups leaves about 150 hours for community use of the field per year after calculating the hours the school will need to use it, Starr wrote.
The board unanimously approved an amendment to the resolution with a preference for a cork-padded playing surface, which is believed to be safer than crumb rubber.
David King of the Regency Estates Citizens Association expressed concerns before the board about the private use of the facility regarding the time of events, noise from the field, and traffic and parking concerns along Gainsborough Road.
“I am greatly concerned that the resolution before the board contains no language that addresses the responsibilities or obligations of the use that the private entities have to the neighborhood or even the school,” King said in written comments submitted to the board. “I’m even more disappointed that none of the parties to this agreement even thought to consult with the people living in the neighborhoods that surround this community asset.”
The board also voted to authorize the renewal of agreements for the private use of turf fields at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville and Gaithersburg High School.
Richard Montgomery’s facility is nearly 7 years-old, according to James Song, the school system’s director of facilities management, and will need to be resurfaced once it reaches 10 years of age.
To fund those projects, the school system rebid the private use contracts, Song said. Current Richard Montgomery tenant Bethesda Soccer Club pledged $1.3 million over 10 years at to continue using the Rockville facility. Montgomery Soccer Inc. offered $950,000 over 10 years at Gaithersburg.
Artificial turf fields are less expensive because they are easier to maintain and do not require lawn care or field paint, according to Song. Proponents also say they cut down on health risks such as concussions and joint injuries.
“I strongly support using artificial turf fields for our Title IX issues and our athletes’ safety in general,” Barclay said. “It becomes worth it, in a sense, to make that investment.”
But the rubber material used to pad the field, made of bits of recycled tires, is known to become dangerously hot during the playing season, according to a National Public Radio report.
Board member Rebecca Smondrowski expressed concerns about Starr’s memo, saying at the hearing, “It doesn’t convince me we are using the safest and best products” for the turf fields.
