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Glen Ellyn residents again voice anger over park turf plan

For the second time this month, angry residents spoke up at a Glen Ellyn Park District board meeting to express their disappointment over the ongoing installation of a synthetic turf field in Newton Park.

Work began on the field last month after more than two years of discussions by the board at about a dozen public meetings.

Park district officials say the synthetic turf will make the upper field at the park more available during the year and help satisfy an increasing demand for more space as lacrosse, field hockey and rugby grow in popularity.

Shortly before the work began, the park district sent out notices to neighbors, asking them to "pardon our dust" during the construction period. But the notice surprised and alarmed neighbors such as Nancy Perlman, who said it was the first time she had heard about the project.

"How could we express our concerns if we didn't know? People don't attend board meetings unless they know there's a topic that they care about and that they've been informed about," she said Tuesday.

Park district officials maintain all agendas and minutes for meetings where the project was discussed have been publicly posted. To address newly raised concerns, however, they decided to put a synthetic turf update presentation on the agenda for a workshop meeting on May 5.

The meeting was standing room only, and more than a dozen people spoke both for and against the new field. A petition asking for the project to be suspended - signed by neighbors and residents of the Brookdale Senior Living complex across the street from the park - was also presented to the board.

Perlman's concerns echoes those of her neighbors. Besides being disappointed in the park district's communication to people who live near the park, she said she is worried about how the turf could affect the health and safety of the people who live nearby and the athletes who will use the synthetic turf field.

"Shall we wait 10 to 20 years to see if some of the kids on the sports teams get cancers? Shall we wait to see if the toxic rubber pellets spread across Newton Park and onto the neighbor's lawns, including mine?" she said Tuesday.

Resident Mike Durschmied said the materials for the turf field will equate to it being "a big toxic dump."

"I wish I had known you guys were doing this in advance ... something more than just having to show up at a weekly board meeting or a bi-weekly board meeting," he added. "Something this big needs to have more of a notice and more in advance."

Park district officials say a more expensive, higher quality infill product has been selected that will prevent rubber pellets from flowing off the field.

"We do admit that we probably could have done a better job informing you, but frankly, we didn't think it was going to be controversial," board member Board member Gary Mayo said. "It's already a football field. All we're doing is changing the surface of that field."

Residents who spoke in support of the field at the May 5 meeting were primarily from the organizations that will benefit from it and help fund it, including the Glen Ellyn Golden Eagles youth football organization, the Glen Ellyn Lakers soccer club, the Glen Ellyn Bulldogs lacrosse program and Glenbard High School District 87. No representatives from those organizations spoke Tuesday.

At the end of the May 5 meeting the board - despite their varying views on the project - agreed that the installation of the turf field should move forward. In addition, a lengthy Q&A has since been posted on the park district's website to address new concerns raised by residents.

"It's not in the board's hands any longer. The products are purchased; the contracts are finalized," Board President Julia Nephew said Tuesday.

Field turf in store for parts of Newton Park

Turf installation starts at Glen Ellyn park

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