The Jamesville-DeWitt School District has approved and submitted to Albany final plans for approval on the $3.1 million capital project to update the district’s main athletics facility field, including the installation of a turf field.

The final plans include a 225-foot-wide multi-use turf field surrounded by a six-lane, 400-meter German-curve style track and replacement of the current stadium lights. The facilities committee report for the field also includes plans to have the current score board relocated, updates made to the concession stand, paving put down on the away seating section of the track, a new drainage system installation, completely fencing in the track with several gates for entry point and netting installation around the field to allow for simultaneous field and track use.

School district voters gave their overwhelming approval for the project during a public referendum vote on Oct. 28. The results showed a nearly 3-to-1 victory ratio for the referendum, with 619 votes to approve and 254 to reject.

Included in the final plans was the decision to use crumb rubber for the infill of the turf field. Crumb rubber is made from recycled used vehicle tires and functions as a buffer between the layer of rock and synthetic grass to make the field playable.

Superintendent Alice Kendrick pointed out that crumb rubber has come under some scrutiny in media reports claiming a link between cancer and athletes who frequently play on turf fields. These media reports have claimed because the crumb rubber is made from recycled tire material, it contains chemicals that are carcinogens, she said. Players who come into contact with turf have the possibility of ingesting the material.

Because of this link, board member Susan Petrosillo brought up possibly looking into the alternative choices for infill material, which include sand, cork and a material called Nike grind, which is made from recycled Nike shoes.

“We are all concerned on doing what’s best for the kids,” said board member Douglas Wilson, who was on the facilities committee. “We could not find scientific studies that said crumb rubber is harmful to athletes. … We looked into this very carefully.”

In addition to the alternative choices costing more compared to crumb rubber, cork would not be good in a wet environment and sand would become very hard over time, Kendrick said.

“Back in 2008 and 2009, the same kinds of questions surfaced. There was enough concern that some states, including New York, put a moratorium on the construction of turf fields so research could be done,” Kendrick said. “Research was done and some pretty reputable agencies, including the EPA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission of the U.S., and after doing research, they indicated that the ban should be removed because they had no findings that indicated a risk to athletes by putting turf fields down.”

The board voted unanimously to approve the final plans drafted by the facilities committee, and they will be sent to Albany for approval.

Also at the meeting, the board discussed the New York State veteran’s tax emption from school taxes that was passed by the state in December 2013. This tax emption applies to veterans and is up to each school district to decide if to implement it, but as Kendrick pointed out, the tax base amount lost by veterans is put onto the responsibility of other taxpayers in the district to make-up.

“I’d like to say that the district is truly appreciative of the service of all of our men and women that have been in the armed forces,” Kendrick said. “But we also need to aware that property tax increases continue to be a concern to the local tax payers.”

Within the district, there are a total of 614 veterans who would be eligible for this tax emption, said Kendrick. There are nine levels of exemptions school districts can approve if they choose to.

According to county statistics, if the lowest level of tax exemption was approved, there would be a loss of $4.9 million in the J-D tax base, Kendrick said. If the middle level of tax exemption were approved, this tax base loss would be $15 million and for the highest tax exemption it would be $19.5 million. The loss in tax base is put on other taxpayers to make-up.

Kendrick added that in addition to the tax levy for the 2015-16 school years that is already in place, a recent litigation for the ShoppingTown Mall assessment was decreased and will bring a loss in $16.6 million from the tax base, which will be another burden brought to taxpayers.

“As much as everyone in the room vales the service of the veterans, because of the unfortunate situation .. I believe it’s truly not in the best interest, which will equate in loss of resources to children’s learning in the future, to approve this tax exemption,” said Kendrick.

“It’s a case of putting one group of taxpayers against another,” board member Ken Dawe said. “I’d like to think we could do something but it comes at an unfortunate time. I’d like to investigate this a little bit more. I think it was a very imperfect implementation of the law.”

The board decided with a 6 to 8 vote, with member Dennis Resetarits absent, to put off approving this exemption for next year and to come back to the possibility at a later time.

Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].