There is a tide in
the affairs of men,
Which, when taken at
the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the
voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows
and in miseries.
On such a full sea
are we now afloat,
And we must take the
current when it serves.
Or lose our venture.
Shakespeare put those
words in the mouth of Brutus, who was conspiring with Cassius to defeat Marc
Antony and Octavian (later Augustus), before the Battle of Philippi. High tide
was high time to act, Brutus insisted. After that, advantage is lost.
We see that principle
played out over and over, don’t we? Sometimes when we see the low tide results
of action “omitted” at high tide, all we can do is experience chagrin, and vow
not to let that happen again.
A result here, a
couple of years back, of not using the opportunity of renovating the school’s
athletic complex to install artificial turf, is that the opportunity to put in
place that better surface was foreclosed, for practical purposes, for years to
come.
The artificial turf
option, then, was voted down, 5 to 4. So blame any of those five for the
various results, none of them good.
The artificial turf
option would have given us a soccer field, on school property. The drainage
system that goes with artificial turf would have been installed at that time,
and before the new bleachers were constructed.
Other niceties that
were omitted were easily accessed restrooms for spectators, including
visitors—surely much to be preferred to porta-johns, and their ongoing
associated costs lack of amenities.
Where would soccer be
played, after that short-sighted decision by the barest possible school board
majority? Very soon the borrowed field behind the container plant would become
unavailable, subsumed by the flood control project.
There were various
possible solutions floated on that ebbing tide. To its/their credit, the board
chose the least impractical. Superintendent Gary Buchsen presented those
possibilities in a thorough and even-handed way. That plan has been carried out
well, from what I can see.
The kids can play
soccer there. The owners of this borrowed field have been gracious, and also
have received some improvements worth having. Other, community-based programs
will continue to use that recreation area.
The school district
has put considerable money into a facility it does not own and can’t control.
It’s a good faith arrangement. But soccer practice and games are still played
at a distance from the school, and players and coaches must be shuttled to and
fro, and parents and fans must drive out of town.
As we look at the new
Gator sign on Main Street, we see that it proclaims “here” to be the home of
the Gators. Well, yes, I guess, but if we are thinking of the soccer Gators,
“here” is Liberty Township, not Port Allegany.
At some future time
this community will insist on the ever more widely adopted playing surface for
sports and other uses, artificial turf.
Opponents back when
the choice was being considered presented such reasoning as that artificial
turf was a bad playing surface; it would contain harmful chemicals; the
chemicals might get into the Lillibridge; pregnant women should not be exposed
to those chemicals; at some point the artificial turf would have to be replaced
and that process would be expensive; and natural turf, like everything natural
these days, is superior to anything synthetic. Oh, and postpone these things
until the next PlanCon project, and get the state to help pay. (PlanCon does
not do athletic fields, nor auditorium improvements.)
Let us examine the
contents of this water slide of notions, which flooded down the slippery slope
of decision making and foreseeable, undesirable consequences.
Similar
considerations were weighed, more judiciously, by the Town of Seymour, in
Connecticut. I should mention here that in that state, the recreational
athletic program, including competitive sports that we consider co-curricular
school activities, is managed and funded through the municipality, governed by
selectmen, not by the school system and “education dollars.”
A middle approach
would be that used in New York State, where in public votes on a school budget
(!), it is possible for a school board to present various components for voter
approval or disapproval, and the sports package can be offered as an optional
addition to the instructional program, which is the sine qua non.
Back to the Seymour
decision to authorize its new bleachers and artificial turf. As the selectmen
pointed out, artificial turf is a superior playing surface; the preponderance
of information shows there is no adverse chemical exposure to players or public
or the environment; modern turf for athletic fields (going back at least to
2007) has been highly durable, outlasting the interval between resoddings with
natural turf. And talk about natural turf being better for our health, sheesh!
Does anyone think that grass is kept green and weed-free without the
application of chemical fertilizers and insecticides and weed killers? And
where does the run-off go, if not into the Lillibridge?You want natural, you
need to apply manure. (Not likely!)
A former head
football coach in Seymour pointed out that “87 percent of the country uses
artificial turf.” It was also mentioned that artificial turf can be used even
after heavy rain, without the field becoming a soggy mess. The season for use
is far longer. Maintenance is much less costly and labor intensive. Markings
are durable and clear.
Such a stadium was
expected to enable the community to host many area events. I remember Dee
Buchanan pointing that out that advantage, in Facilities Committee and school
board meetings, to no avail. I admit I didn’t see Port Allegany suddenly
becoming a magnet for band festivals and playoffs because of artificial turf,
but now I think that was plausible, especially with the new lights.
Those five Nays will
echo through the years until another opportunity arrives to make a better
decision. Meanwhile, we need to watch the board members for signs of similar
failure to read the tide.
Peace.
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