Trying to beat the heat, on Wednesday, June 24, I took my four-year-old grandson to the newly opened Upper Falls Greenway Water Park. The air temperature was well into the 90s and we were ready to play. I was surprised to see that the part of the park that is a playground has artificial turf under the play equipment. I put my hand to it and had to pull away because it was so hot.
I knew that artificial turf gets hot, so the thought of putting it under a playset next to a water park where kids can be running barefoot was upsetting. The next day, June 25, when temperatures were slightly cooler but still in the 90s, my husband went to the park with a thermometer. The photo shows what he found!
For comparison, my husband took another measurement of some natural grass nearby that registered 97 degrees when the air was 91 degrees. The 97 degrees of the grass is compared to the 145 degrees of the artificial turf.
I wrote to several City Councilors about my concern and Councilor Bill Humphrey reached out to Nicole Banks, Parks and Recreation Commissioner. Here is her response:
Hi Councilor Humphrey,
Thank you for being in touch. The playground was designed by the Northland Development team, not the City. The playground area of the park remains under Northland’s control, only the splash park is managed by the City.
I would just note that the carpet surface is part of a shock absorption system, this is why the area has a bouncy feel when walking over it. Grass surfacing would not meet fall height shock absorption standards for this play structure.
Please feel free to share this information with the parties copied in the original correspondence. I will pass along this concern to the Northland team.
Respectfully,
Nicole Banks, Commissioner
Newton Parks, Recreation & Culture
I have never seen a playground with artificial turf under it. I am sure it does not meet playground safety standards because it gets too hot, holds bacteria and will abrade children when they fall. Given that a 4-year-old, like my grandson, who is running barefoot in the water portion of the park could easily run onto the nearby artificial turf, I doubt that a sign would do any good until after he had already burned his feet.
Despite documented health and environmental concerns, the City has continued to expand its use of artificial turf on athletic fields: A new turf field is being installed at Albemarle, following the replacement fields already installed at both high schools.. The new turf surface at a playground is especially onerous given that it will be used by little children who will be drawn to the splash pads when it is hot and who probably won’t think about it until they step or fall onto a 145 degree surface. I believe it is imperative that Northland and the City take out the artificial turf. And until they do – PARENTS BEWARE!
