The Wolf Swamp Field Complex is among the athletic fields on which the town is seeking opinions.
Reminder Publishing file photo
LONGMEADOW — Longmeadow wants to hear from you. The town has launched a survey for residents to weigh in on the town’s athletic fields and whether people want a turf field at the Longmeadow High School stadium.
“Gathering public feedback is important to help guide the direction that rehabilitation, renovation or reconstruction may go,” said Town Manager Lyn Simmons. “Regardless of the field being turf or natural grass, work is needed to renew the fields, track and press box. The fields and stadium were not renovated as part of the new high school in 2012.”
Simmons explained that there is no funding source yet identified. The town’s capital plan, updated annually, considers projects and prioritizes them to be completed over the following five years. The annual budget for all capital projects in the town is about $2 million.
Based on a citizen’s petition article approved at the May 2024 Town Meeting, there is some appetite for turf. The article funded a feasibility study whether the Longmeadow High School stadium’s field should be maintained as grass or replaced with turf. The athletic field survey satisfies the 2024 article’s requirement of public input and feedback.
The town has combined the question of turf with an effort to find out how people feel about the town’s other fields. The town is interested in the ideas of its residents, but it is not starting from nothing. A 2023 formal study of the town’s recreational areas was completed by SLR International, an Agawam-based consulting firm hired by the town. The conditions assessment studied 16 of the town’s active recreation areas, including the Longmeadow High School Stadium and its three other fields. A strategic plan to improve and maintain the facilities was submitted at the end of the study.
The study found that half of the town’s grass athletic fields were in need of restoration, and a maintenance plan was required to maintain the rest. SLR International estimated the cost of maintaining the stadium’s grass field at $35,000. The report stated, “Without the recommended maintenance plans, Longmeadow should consider synthetic turf for one or more fields.”
There is more than cost to consider with synthetic turf, however. Turf is made of layers of plastic, rubber and sand. Some turf products contain a group of chemicals known as PFAS. These chemicals have garnered the moniker “forever chemicals” because they do not break down in the environment over time. Grass fields are not without their own potential impacts, requiring pesticides, water usage and gas-powered equipment to maintain. Questions on the survey ask if residents are concerned about the health and environmental impacts of either the turf or grass field options.
The survey also asks if people would be willing to accept a “small” increase in taxes to better fund the maintenance and quality of the fields. It also asks if the budget for Longmeadow’s DPW should be increased, as the department maintains all the town’s fields, including those on school property.
The athletic field survey can be found at surveymonkey.com/r/DG3G529.
