(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

I witnessed two different sporting events last Saturday: my daughter playing softball at Foss Park, where the ground was so dry and dusty, and the wind so strong, that waves of dust would roll across the park and everyone had to face away from it to not get dirt in their eyes. We came home with dust in our eyes, ears, and mouths. We are still chewing grit.

The other event was my son’s soccer game in Waltham, a facility often used as an example of a state-of-the-art complex – acres of artificial turf fields, a snack bar and rest rooms, and ample parking. This was a hot day for May, around 80 degrees, but nothing compared to where summer temps can reach. The field was so hot that the refs called extra water breaks and the younger siblings spectating, who love to run barefoot, were unable to remove their shoes because the plastic was so hot. The ten-year olds playing soccer kept asking their coach to sit down because their feet were too hot. Waves of heat were rising above the field.

These two events, occurring on the same day, left me angry. Anyone with a lawn knows that basic care is required to maintain the grass – at a minimum, watering, reseeding, some sort of fertilizer (ideally organic), and aeration. Yet, in the middle of one of the driest Mays on record, Somerville did not even water their grass fields. To think that grass will survive under this neglect is completely misguided. But people hold up our brown grass and dirt swaths of fields as examples of the typical grass field, and the reason artificial turf is the right choice for Somerville. This does not make sense. Who is responsible for the care of our fields? Why have they not been trained to do their job? Why aren’t we holding the State accountable for the care of the State fields? If I were a cynic, I might believe that the City is sabotaging the existing grass fields to make a case for turf.

At least on Lincoln Park, there is a sprinkler system. Some people remember when it used to work. If our fields were well-maintained, we would not be having the debate that is dividing residents into pro-grass and pro-artificial turf camps. A well-maintained grass field is so much less expensive than a synthetic field. And the environmental benefits (cooling the local air rather than heating it), not only helps with larger global warming issues but locally with individuals’ air conditioning costs.

Why is no one outraged about the lack of maintenance on our fields? Is this money in the budget and not used? Do we need to add it to the budget? Can we hire someone skilled in gardening and grass maintenance to take care of our precious green space? Somerville cannot afford to give up any green space that we have. We need more than we can possibly acquire, so replacing green space with plastic carpet just doesn’t add up.

Renée Scott