Neighbors tell school board artificial turf next to homes creates heat, fumes and nuisance

Two residents told the Salt Lake City School District board on June 2 that newly installed artificial turf adjacent to neighborhood homes is producing excessive heat, noxious odors and chemical emissions that they said have harmed vegetation and made their yards unusable.

Rhett Jeepson said the district approved the Rosland Heights layout and then presented a last‑minute change adding an adjacent warm‑up field with rubber infill. “They did not do any environmental impact assessment, sustainability or risk analysis,” Jeepson said, adding that staff relied on a manufacturer brochure and that turf adjacent to homes is “not industry standard.” He said air and soil contamination from microplastics and so‑called “forever chemicals” is a concern and asked the board to remove the unnecessary warm‑up field and restore landscaping.

Neighbor Willow Gypson described heat and odor she attributes to the turf and told the board certified arborists diagnosed bark cracking and other stress on shade trees along the property edge. “At 11 p.m. my yard is still hot because artificial turf absorbs the sun’s heat all day and radiates it back long after sundown,” Gypson said. She said fumes from crumb‑rubber infill gave her headaches and irritated her eyes and throat and interfered with enjoyment of outdoor spaces.

Both speakers said the additional warm‑up field was added late in planning, that staff told them the turf was ‘‘industry standard,’’ and that the district has used watering to cool fields — a measure they said is inadequate in an arid climate. Jeepson and Gypson urged the board to require solutions that control the heat and emissions at the source rather than piecemeal mitigation such as intermittent water cooling or planting a few shrubs.

Board members did not take a policy vote on the turf during the public‑comment portion of the meeting. The public‑comment rules the board read earlier in the meeting note that items not on the agenda cannot be acted on immediately, but staff may be directed to follow up with speakers. The district has previously acknowledged the fields’ impacts and told speakers it is pursuing mitigation options; at the meeting district staff were asked by board members to continue engagement with neighbors and report back.

What happens next: Neighbors asked the board to remove the secondary warm‑up field and replace it with landscaping. The board did not take immediate action at the June 2 meeting but may direct staff to investigate further and return with options.