City Manager is requested work with relevant City departments to provide a report on how the decision to install artificial turf at Ahern Field was made, the rationale for artificial turf, and what process was taken to ensure community concerns and public health considerations were fully addressed, and to ensure that construction will not move forward until a report is delivered

The City of Cambridge is moving forward with targeted improvements to the 158

Spring Street building and Ahern Field to strengthen this important East Cambridge

campus, and community feedback gathered through public meetings, pop-ups, stakeholder conversations, and the March 11 open house has directly informed elements such as park layout, entrances, seating, play areas, and landscape improvements; and

At Ahern Field, proposed improvements include a new synthetic turf field with lighting, renovated basketball and hockey/pickleball courts, better park entrances, new seating and gathering spaces, and enhanced landscaping to create a more welcoming and active space for people of all ages; and

The City Council and City staff have long been considered about the proliferation of PFAS materials in a range of uses citywide, as noted in CMA 2022 #181, which outlined policies and procedures on artificial turf, and CMA 2024 #137, which provided updated policies on PFAS in all relevant city areas (water, firefighting, turf, waste, etc.); and

On the Danehy Park field replacement project, which included replacement of turf fields and track, City staff considered a number of options for materials and opted not to use typical “crumb rubber,” and instead used a wood-fiber-sand mix, and took steps to independently test the turf grass blades for PFAS; and

Providing a durable field at Ahern improves access to recreation for East Cambridge residents, especially for youth and families who rely on nearby facilities and may not have easy access to fields elsewhere; and

The City should take great care to ensure that construction of the new field will fully address public health impacts and provide durable and accessible playing fields for the entire community; now therefore be it

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested work with relevant City

departments to provide a report on how the decision to install artificial turf was made, the rationale for artificial turf, and what process was taken to ensure community concerns and public health considerations were fully addressed, and to ensure that construction will not move forward until a report is delivered; and be it further

ORDERED That the City Manager work with relevant City departments to study and analyze the demographics in relation to field resource allocations, including how many synthetic vs. natural turf fields we want to have and in which neighborhoods to meet resident needs; and be it further

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council in a timely manner.