I would like to welcome back all students and staff for the 2008-2009 school year. I am looking forward to a year filled with rich educational experiences, as well as very memorable events and activities.

This year we face the challenge of the continuation of our building project, while maintaining an educational environment conducive to learning for our students in third, fourth and fifth-grades. We are committed to this challenge.

Many residents have been asking about the status of our building project in regard to the installation of artificial turf. We received approval from the New York State Education Department in mid-August. We will be going out to bid for this project this winter and anticipate beginning the installation when the 2009 spring sports are completed. We do not have time to bid out the project, accept bids and initiate construction in 2008.

Also, there are very few contractors who install artificial turf, and all of them are currently involved in installation projects across the state. We are hoping to find that by bidding out the project this winter, we will receive highly competitive bids for the work. We should be one of the first installations that the approved contractor will begin in 2009.

There has been much publicity over the topic of artificial turf. We have been working closely with our architectural firm, Bernier Carr, to assess the issues and concerns that have been brought to the forefront. We want to make sure that the product we utilize has absolutely no health or safety risks for our students.

On July 30, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff released its evaluation of various synthetic athletic field products. The evaluation concluded that young children are not at risk from exposure to lead in these fields. CPSC staff evaluation showed that newer fields had no lead or generally had the lowest lead levels. Although small amounts of lead were detected on the surface of some older fields, none of these tested fields released amounts of lead that would be harmful to children.

Field Turf, the world's largest provider of synthetic turf field stated: “These findings are very important as they answer critics definitively and offer yet another and hopefully conclusive validation of the safety of synthetic turf field products. We see our sports surfaces as part of the world's ecological system and make every effort to ensure that our activities respect the environment.”

The installation of a synthetic athletic field will eliminate the need to use fertilizers and/or herbicides, while at the same time removing thousands of tires from landfill sites. Artificial turf requires no mowing, fertilizing, reseeding or watering. This can reduce long term maintenance costs required for natural fields, reduce exposure to chemical treatment materials and enhance our commitment to “Green Initiatives.”

We want to provide our students with facilities that are safe and suitable for their use. This includes the facilities utilized for all of our programs, including academics, extracurricular activities and athletics. We would never want to put our students intentionally at risk. I hope you have found this information useful.

Our theme for the 2008-2009 school year is: “Building for our Future.” This theme is embodied by a quote from Henry Ford: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

Thank you for your commitment to the students of the Skaneateles Central School District. Our students are our future!

Phil D'Angelo is the Skaneateles Central Schools superintendent.