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Residents Urge Brighton School Board to Pause Turf Project, Cite PFAS and Drainage Risks
Summary
Multiple residents, parents and a student urged the Brighton Central School District to pause an artificial-turf installation, saying the district has not released full SEQR materials, independent chemical testing or engineering details for stormwater runoff; the superintendent said some items are legally constrained but pledged to publish thought-exchange feedback.
Dozens of residents pressed the Brighton Central School District Board of Education on Jan. 27 to pause a planned artificial-turf installation near the high school, citing health, environmental and transparency concerns.
At public comment, Dr. Bill Baer, a long‑time Brighton resident and parent, said the district’s negative SEQR declaration lacks underlying technical reports and laboratory analyses, and urged the board to provide independent testing showing the chosen turf and infill are free of PFAS and other contaminants. “If the district is claiming the turf is free of harmful chemicals, then the district should be able to show the independent laboratory testing verifying this,” Baer said.
Other speakers echoed chemical‑exposure worries and raised separate but related objections. Betsy Cox pointed to recent studies and international expert panels that she said recommend caution on turf, and asked the district to be “honest and transparent” about product safety data and lifecycle disposal. Student speaker Finnegan Hayes told the board he will not use the field if the project proceeds and urged clearer community polling: “You need to ask again in a clear way that people will answer in a way they feel about that,” he said.
Residents also raised drainage and stormwater concerns, noting planned mitigation areas near housing and asking how microplastics or chemical runoff would be prevented from entering local waterways. One commenter asked whether rubber infill could contaminate storm drains and groundwater; another urged the board to consider professionally regrading and reseeding existing grass fields as a lower‑impact alternative.
Superintendent McGowan and district staff responded that the planned retention area is designed as stormwater mitigation, not a pond, and that some topics cannot be discussed publicly because of pending legal processes. The superintendent also said district financial audits and personnel evaluations are conducted and that the district will publish results from its online thought exchange soliciting community feedback.
What’s next: The board did not vote on the turf project at the Jan. 27 meeting. Staff said the thought‑exchange feedback will be compiled and shared with the community in the coming weeks and that the board will continue work on related agenda items at future meetings.
Ending: For now, the turf project remains on the district’s planning calendar while public pressure for additional transparency and independent testing continues.
