Laserfiche WebLink
ATTACHMENT 7 <br /> In 2009, the Los Angeles Unified School District said due to health concerns it would <br /> no longer use recycled tires on its turf fields, opting for alternatives like cork, and <br /> removed the used rubber from early education centers. The New York City <br /> Department of Parks and Recreation also stopped using recycled tires on newly <br /> installed sports fields amid health concerns, instead opting for alternative products. <br /> In San Francisco, the Recreation and Park Department expects to replace grass at the <br /> Beach Chalet athletic fields in Golden Gate Park with synthetic turf in November <br /> using the recycled rubber Hill's bill proposes to study. <br /> Sarah Ballard, spokeswoman for the parks department, said alternative products have <br /> not been well-vetted and may not hold up as well as the rubber pieces. Ballard said the <br /> parks department hopes to pilot the use of alternative products at smaller fields to see <br /> how they fare. <br /> Opponents of the synthetic fields at Beach Chalet said they will continue to push for <br /> the parks department to use alternative products on the fields instead of recycled tires, <br /> such as used shoes, coconut fibers, rice husks or cork. <br /> "We need to step back and study these before we install any more," said Kathleen <br /> McCowin, who was arrested after staging a one-person sit-in at Golden Gate Park to <br /> stop construction of the new turf soccer fields. "I wouldn't have gone to jail for <br /> anything less than children's health. My daughter has played on (turf) fields. I drove <br /> her to these fields. I've had colleagues who say that's all that's left. It's either play on <br /> these toxic turf fields or don't play." <br /> Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E- <br /> mail: [email protected] Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez <br />