Human Anatomy Study Guide

Real Soccer Mom claims to have done research. Unfortunately, she did not really speak to all the people she claimed to have spoken with and did not contact the project organizers directly for information. Her conclusions misrepresent the true facts about the Maple Turf Project, as do other blogs. I HAVE done the research. I HAVE gone to the website (www.MPTurf.com) and I really DID speak to the people involved. here is what I learned…1) The project is not over budget at all. The scope of the project was changed since the initial Village Council meetings to include the baseball diamond for 2,000 RBSA participants (increasing the field cost by almost 30% to approximately $720,000) and to include over $100,000 in landscaping to make the park a more desireable place than it is today for the surrounding neighborhood. While the park was all natural in the past, the field was in poor condition and the immediate surrounding vegitation was actually overgrown weeds and poison ivy. The proposed project WILL result in a more attractive park.2) The sponsoring sports groups spent $40,000 of there own money for an engineering study to submit for DEP approval before the VOR approved the project. The VOR had approximately $300,000 on hand before approving the project.3) A bond will ONLY be issued for any fundraising shortfall. In this case, the sports groups will be responsible for the debt servie over a period of years. Residents will NOT be taxed for this project. In fact, The $30,000-35,000 cost to taxpayers of maintaining Maple Park field will be REDUCED by about 90%. All equipment needed to maintain the field are included in the installation cost and annual maintenance will consist of painting lines once a season, removing loose debris (sticks, etc) and tufting the field 2-3 times a year for about 30 minutes.4) The decision to install this facility was necessitated by the shortage of fields (60% of NJ recommendations per capita) and a massive increase in sports participants between the ages of 8 and 19. The resulting condition of Ridgewood's fields was dangerous mud and hard-packed dirt conditions (like playing on concrete). For 10 years the sports groups spent over $750,000 resodding and reseading the field (in addition to what the VOR spent annually). So, the option was to continue wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars or start to fix the problem with a thoughtful alternative.5) This project does NOT include the installation of flood lights. Utilization of the field and hours of use will not change as a result of the installation of Field Turf.6) The question of safety is quite clear. Real Soccer Mom refers to studies condicted by the Turfgrass Producers International, a natural grass industry lobbying group, that primarily compare perfectly manicured grass in Texas and Utah (about 20% of the annual rainfall of Ridgewood) to older generation synthetic turf, not Field Turf. Field Turf has a unique patented design, which is superior in many ways to other synthetic surfaces. The most credible study on the safety of grass vs. Field Turf was published in October 2004 in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. This was an objective medical study, examining the nature of sports injuries over 5 years, among 8 different high school football teams. The study included 240 games (150 on Field Turf and 90 on natural grass). The injuries that occured on Field Turf showed the following results, as compared to natural grass:- Overall less severe injuries- 34% less short-term (1-2 day)injury time- 44% less long-term (22+ day) injury time- 66% fewer neural injuries- 50% fewer cranial/cervical injuries- 33% fewer 3rd degree injuries.7) Most of Ridgewood's field are in flood plains and are undesireable for development, which is why they were designated as athletic fields decades ago…no one wanted the land. According to the engineering studies performed, which the DEP analyzed and approved after nine months, the peak runoff from Maple Park field, as a result of the new drainage system, will decrease by approximately 95%. This will be a major improvement, not detriment, for the surrounding area. This project will benefit more than 6,000 Ridgewood children and will help to improve the quality of their physical development. This is as important as the intellectual development and stimulation that our children receive. It is unfortunate that a few vocal residents are not interested in learning the facts and are more interested in resisting ANY change in the status quo (typically in their neighborhood) at the expense of our children.