More about Artificial Turf

The New York Daily News has just published another article on the dangers of artificial recreational surfaces. Note how parks commissioner Benepe describes using a watering system to reduce the heat. Didn't he previously claim as a benefit to using artificial recreational surfaces the fact that you don't need to water it? I'm guessing that he also never smelled the burning tire-like odor that fills the air around these fields on hot days.

Macombs park turf too hot for them to handle! Critic's thermometer hits 150 degrees

By Bill Egbert
Tuesday, August 18th 2009, 5:50 AM

Think it's hot running on a 90-degree day? Try running on a 150-degree track.

That's what joggers at the new Macombs Dam Park have to contend with on the interim running track painted on the still-unfinished artificial turf field.

During last week's sweltering temps, the turf reached temperatures in excess of 150 degrees, according to an infrared thermometer wielded by Geoff Croft, head of NYC Park Advocates and a longtime critic of the city's efforts to replace the parkland given to the Yankees for their new stadium.

For comparison, Croft measured the temperature of a patch of natural grass near the park on the same day and found it to be only 84 degrees.

Temperatures don't have to get into the 90s for the turf to overheat. Croft recorded similar readings of higher than 147 degrees on cloudy days when the air temperature never got higher than the low 80s.

"We understand that this is the one drawback of these turf fields," said city Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, "and we're doing all we can to address it."

The city spent an extra $160,000 to use a green-colored crumb rubber fill, which stays cooler than cheaper fill made of recycled tires. The new park will also feature three misting devices designed to cool parkgoers at the push of a button.

Local residents who were used to running in the old Macombs Dam Park surrounded by tall shade trees can feel the difference.

"It feels really hot on my feet," said Enrique Martinez, 16, who runs every day on the interim track.

"The worst part," Enrique said, "is that when you want to rest, you can't lie down in the grass or you'll overheat."

When the park is complete next April, however, it will feature several natural grass berms around the field and 166 shade trees planted around the park.

Two boys practicing soccer at one end of the unfinished field agreed with Enrique.

"It's burning hot," said Joseph Cardozo, taking a break to rest in the limited shade of a construction fence. "I can feel the heat on my legs."

"You get easily dehydrated," said Eduardo Yanez, 15. "You have to stop more often and get some shade."

They fondly recalled playing on the real-grass field of their old park, dug up for the Yankees' new $1.5 billion stadium nearby.

"The old park was cooler," said Jospeh, "and more crowded, too. There were more people to play with."

The final design includes a large shade structure over a grandstand, as well as a new Olympic-quality running track wrapping around the soccer field.

Commissioner Benepe needs to get with the program. Mayor Bloomberg is trying to reduce the "Urban Heat Island Effect" in New York City and by Benepe replacing grass fields with artificial recreational surfaces he is actually increasing the temperature in NYC. It also doesn't help that Mr. Benepe seems to enjoy cutting down trees.

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