In the Sept. 12 issue of the News Transcript, a photo of a large expanse of dirt was featured on the cover. If you attended Marlboro Day, you were able to see the heap from up close. Not too close, however, because what once was a welcoming field for the children of Marlboro is now a roped-off construction site, soon to be an artificial turf field. Marlboro children have been forced to play out of town this season.
In excess of $1 million is going toward a major purchase of which no poll, no referendum and very little information was shared with the public. Reports state that the money may come from a liquor license and Green Acres funds from the state. Recent news of a bond has been heard. Whenever the subject was broached, elected officials gave long campaign speeches about how it won’t affect the taxpayer. However, in the Sept. 19 issue of the News Transcript, the Kleinberg administration finally admitted that they had no clue.
Bear in mind, this is almost a full acre of land being paved over. Just because you paint it green does not make it Green Acres. It is hard to believe that the state would agree to such a ridiculous notion, if they are in fact aware. Liquor licenses are a rare, valuable commodity in this town and should be used carefully. Is this the best way to spend such a valuable township resource?
Perhaps we’ll float another bond: 15 years of debt to pay off a field that will only last 12 years. This does not sound like a very good investment, especially since grass is the most easily sustainable surface nature can provide.
Even if the field was free, an acre of fully functioning grass in a wetlands area is being paved over. The Kleinberg team gave four years of lip service to environmental concerns and flooding remediation. That made him popular then. Now it seems Mr. Kleinberg feels his popularity is based on a complete about-face. His hopes to buy votes, no matter how misguided the attempt, [and that] is more important to him than the safety of our drinking water and the drought-flood cycle already present in overdeveloped areas.
Let’s talk about the sports enthusiast the mayor thinks he is pleasing. If those votes were so valuable, perhaps he should have spoken to a few of us first. I haven’t met one person who thinks an artificial turf field is crucial for their child’s athletic development. As a former varsity athlete and a parent, I would much prefer my child end up with grass stains over joint pain and shin splints.
But that is not the end to the health concerns. In the Sept. 26 issue of the News Transcript, the question of artificial turf fields hit the press again. Researchers have found that these fields have “worrisome levels of zinc, lead and other carcinogenic chemicals that merit further study.” Also from the same article, materials including recycled tires can melt when hot and emit toxic fumes that can be inhaled while our children play. Connecticut has commissioned a study and others have stalled production due to concerns, but Marlboro is full force ahead in spite of them.
With Election Day approaching and the accelerated timeline on this project, being careful is just not part of Kleinberg’s plan. Kleinberg begged the state for financial assistance due to past corruption. How dare he now spend over $1 million on an unnecessary, potentially dangerous luxury?
Adrianne Spota
Marlboro

