Editorial: Why the rush?

Thursday, 17 September 2009 00:00

School board member Mark Lipton is right: The district should allow more time to discuss a proposed $3.15-million project almost entirely dedicated to building new athletic fields and repairing old ones.

Last week, the school district set the dates of Oct. 20 for the board to vote on the project and Dec. 8 for voters to do so. Mr. Lipton’s valid complaint is that the board has not discussed the project much since voters approved creating a capital reserve in May, where the money the board wants to spend on the fields is being held, and that the recent discussions have come during the summer when most residents are away or just “tuning out.”

School board member Peter Breslin disputed Mr. Lipton’s push for more time, which the rest of the board also dismissed, stating that the school board had been “talking about this for years, and very specifically before the school year ended and now. This is not new to the public.”

Yes, the board did discuss the fields in the past but not with a specific proposal under consideration. Remember, the spring vote supposedly was never about building athletic fields but solely about the creation of a new reserve, as the school board itself constantly reminded the public in the months leading up to it. Also, the most controversial aspect of the proposal — what type of turf to use — is a complicated issue that the board has purposefully pushed aside over the past 18 months because they were not ready to tackle it. In fact, the last time board members held a lengthy discussion about turf surfaces was in January — of 2008.

In light of this, it would be prudent for the board to reconsider Mr. Lipton’s request. Time is tight as the process for state certification is long, but another month should not prevent using the fields in spring of 2011, which is the board’s target date, if voters approve the project. The turf’s possible effects on the environment and children’s health demand that ample time be afforded the issue — even in the unlikely event that it pushes the opening date back a season.