City council approves contract for Pacific Park artificial turf amid public concern

The Glendale City Council voted to authorize a construction contract with Bedrock Group Inc. for the Pacific Park / Edison Elementary School artificial turf replacement project, after a brief public comment period and council discussion.

The agenda item (Spec. No. 4016R) was read into the record describing “one motion authorizing the city manager or his designee to execute a construction contract with Bedrock Group Inc. for the Pacific Park Edison Elementary School artificial turf replacement project” and listing the contract amount as stated in staff materials. The staff text read during the meeting listed an amount of $1,117,009,900 and a 10% contingency figure ($111,790) as presented in the agenda packet.

A caller, Jennifer Pinkerton, spoke during the item’s public comment period and urged the council not to fund or use artificial turf in Glendale. Pinkerton cited concerns that were raised from the public: toxic chemicals that can leach into soils and groundwater, contribution to higher local surface temperatures, microplastic pollution, higher athletic injury rates cited by some professional teams, and lifecycle impacts from manufacturing and disposal. She recommended examining natural turf installations such as those at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson as alternatives.

Council member Brotman announced during discussion that he opposed the city paying for artificial turf and stated he intended to vote no. Other council members cited prior council work on field surfaces and a mixed approach of natural and artificial turf across the city’s facilities; after debate the motion carried.

The council’s roll-call on the item showed the motion passed by a majority; Council member Brotman was recorded publicly as opposing the item. The staff presentation and the agenda materials (as read aloud) are the record for the contract amount and contingency figures.

What the council and public said - Public comment: Jennifer Pinkerton (15-year Glendale resident) urged the council to stop funding artificial turf, citing environmental, health and manufacturing impacts and asking staff to study natural alternatives. - Council: Brotman stated he would vote no for the reasons similar to those raised by the caller. Other members said the city previously decided to have a mix of artificial and natural fields and stated support for moving forward with the scheduled replacement.

Next steps and clarifications - The contract execution was authorized at the meeting. The agenda text read aloud by staff records the contract amount and the contingency amount as included in the staff packet; the council vote authorizes the city manager to execute the contract per that specification. - The transcript record contains the dollar figures as stated by staff during the meeting; the council article reports those figures as presented in the staff/agenda text. The council did not adopt additional policy changes on artificial turf at this meeting.

Why it matters The decision commits city funding and construction work for a high-profile neighborhood recreational field. Public commenters and at least one council member raised environmental and safety concerns that the city may need to address in future procurement or facility policy discussions.