City Council approves borrowing $1.4M for stadium’s new artificial turf

By Neil Zolot

The City Council approved borrowing $1,400,000 for new artificial turf at Everett Stadium, at their meeting on Monday, September 23. It was originally part of a request that included $965,000 to replace a fire engine, but the two items were voted on and approved separately.

The new artificial turf will be made from organic and recyclable material, not rubber from old tires, which has been found to be toxic. That dovetails with another matter approved, a proposal by Councillor-at-Large Katy Rogers on whether artificial turf or natural grass will be used on athletic fields to be discussed by the City Council. “It’s presumptuous to assume artificial turf is the default material,” she said. “Each time something needs to be replaced, it has to be approved by the City Council rather than default to turf. If we’re voting on turf we should have a discussion. This adds a layer of transparency and environmental safety that requires discussion. I appreciate the Mayor’s commitment to environmental sustainability, which is why I feel it’s important to have an ordinance so these values are prioritized regardless of who’s sitting there.”

Her original proposal was to prohibit artificial turf altogether, but it was amended to allow nontoxic turf when appropriate and include involving the Parks Department in the process.

The matter was discussed in a Legislative Affairs Subcommittee meeting before the full City Council meeting, during which City Council President Robert Van Campen said, “I want to commend Councillor Rogers for her work on this and continuing the City’s efforts on environmental sustainability.”

The matter was approved by the Legislative Affairs Subcommittee, 3-1, at a meeting before the full City Council met and the full City Council voted 10-1, with Councillor-at-Large Stephanie Smith voting no both times. “While I applaud my colleague’s efforts to combat the urban heat effect and thank her for being willing to compromise from the original ordinance, I cannot support it,” she said. “I believe the administration has managed the variations of surfaces in our parks very well to date and trust they will continue to maintain the right balance between natural grass and turf, adapting to future demands as needed, as they have done in the past. I do not believe the City Council should be dictating the way the City should determine field surfaces. We are not experts and that’s why we have an entire department dedicated to maintaining our beautiful parks.”

The City Council also approved an order to repurpose $771,000, amended down from $1,971,000, in previously bonded school capital but unused improvement funds to fully fund the project to replace equipment controls at Everett High School for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC). The vote was 10-1, with Ward 6 Councillor Peter Pietrantonio dissenting.

Conspicuous by an absence on the agenda was any item related to the Mayor and School Department’s request to borrow $72 million to convert sections of the former Everett High School on Broadway to classroom space for 7th and 8th grades to alleviate overcrowding in the neighborhood schools. “It will be on agenda again when the administration comes up with the plans we asked for,” Van Campen, who represents Ward 5, where the building is located, said in reference to City Council requests on September 9 for information on where tenants, including the Eliot Family Resource Center and a boxing club, would be relocated.

“I’m not sure the Mayor had solidified any plans for Eliot or the boxing club, which is a concern for some Councillors who voted it down,” Rogers added in reference to the appropriation request not passing on September 9. “I am hoping it comes back before us soon so we can make progress on the overcrowding issue.”

Van Campen, who voted no on September 9, expressed sympathy with recently reported frustration on the matter by School Committee Chairperson Jeanne Cristiano and School Superintendent William Hart. “I share their frustration,” he said. “I was prepared to vote yes in early September, but, with all the moving pieces, I have an obligation to wait and see how they will be handled.”

The vote was 7-4 in favor of the measure, but appropriations require 8 votes to pass. Rogers voted yes.

She also released a statement in support of November election ballot Question 4, which is titled “Limited Legalization and Regulation of Certain Natural Psychedelic Substances.” Information for voters from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office indicates “A YES Vote would allow persons over age 21 to use certain natural psychedelic substances under licensed supervision and to grow and possess limited quantities of those substances in their home, and would create a commission to regulate those substance” and “A NO Vote would make no change in the law regarding natural psychedelic substances.”

“The psychedelic substances allowed would be two substances found in mushrooms (psilocybin and psilocyn) and three substances found in plants (dimethyltryptamine, mescaline, and ibogaine)” which “could be purchased at an approved location for use under the supervision of a licensed facilitator.”

Rogers feels the proposal “seeks to provide safe, regulated access to psychedelic medicine in Massachusetts. The measure has the potential to help veterans, people who are terminally ill and individuals facing metal health challenges. By allowing this opportunity, we can renew hope to people in need of alternative treatments.”

She added that she released the statement because a lot of people have asked her about the Question.