The Martha’s Vineyard Commission is currently taking up the high school athletic fields question. While I can imagine the pressure that the school committee has been under to come up with a “quick fix” for our sadly neglected playing fields, I don’t understand how the committee could even consider believing the words of a company that promises its product will be recycled or is recyclable, when in fact it is not.

On an Island where we hope to be better stewards of the environment, where even the use of plastic straws comes under scrutiny, are we going to install a synthetic field of many tons of mixed artificial materials, with no idea how it will be disposed of when its useful life is over, other than to throw it on the junk pile?

Not to mention all the unanswered questions about heat buildup, leaks, warranty issues, potential for injury, the real cost of maintenance, replacement costs, etc.

The natural grass fields at the high school have never been properly maintained. That part of the budget has been cut repeatedly, which is our fault, not the fault of the fields themselves. If this project included only real grass fields, I believe that the taxpayers of Martha’s Vineyard would understand their value and would pay for their upkeep.

Steve Auerbach

Oak Bluffs