In a column I wrote that appeared Tuesday, Sept. 11, I spoke about two different Rochester synthetic turf fields that tested positive for being toxic.

A letter writer responded by saying I was ignoring the truth in my opposition to a turf field being installed at Auburn school district fields.

“Let's give the school board a little credit, they are trying to do what's best for the students and the community,” the letter stated. “Updating our facilities benefits the entire community. All it takes is a community that cares and a few extra dollars a month. We can't say no forever.”

But if the school board was doing what was best for us and our children, wouldn't it have looked into safety issues of turf and let residents know that there are some serious issues at hand? Some synthetic turf has been found to contain numerous hazardous contaminants, including lead, arsenic, cadmium and chromium. So how safe do you think these things are for our children? They aren't safe at all.

This is such a serious matter that state Assemblyman Steven Englebright announced introduction of a bill that will stop installation of all synthetic and/or artificial turf until a study of the potential harms to the public and environment is completed.

Umm ... I don't know about you, but I think it would have been nice if someone from the school board investigated these health hazards and notified us. Is this anyway to look out for the students? I don't think so.

I don't think anyone would want the taxpayers to surrender to the school board by putting this potential life-threatening field down while risking our children's lives? But if the board members had their way, turf would already be laid down and our children could be faced with serious ailments while the district faced lawsuits.

Are our board members being negligent for not educating themselves about these sorts of things? How much would it cost if we have to dispose of our $1-million synthetic turf because it is toxic? Well I'm sure it's an easy answer for some people: Just raise taxes.

Remember the quote from above: “All it takes is a community that cares and a few extra dollars a month. We can't say no forever.”

This is exactly the attitude that has gotten us into these financial blunders. I suggest spending proponents put efforts into a fundraiser instead trying to take our federal or local tax dollars.

The taxpayers have already spoken and have said no to turf. School board members need to stop acting like spoiled children because they aren't getting their way. No means no - and we can say no forever.

Ducayne's column appears Tuesdays in The Citizen, and she can be contacted at

sacredheart6005@hotmail.com