The Turf Field: Money Well Spent

By Dan Brosgol

On Sunday night during baseball practice on the turf field at BHS, my son was complaining.

“Dad, the turf is cold. And it smells.”

Ahh, First World problems. The kid doesn’t know how lucky he has it.

For the first six years I lived in Bedford there was a healthy debate about the turf field and whether or not it was worth it. Now that’s it here, albeit after a summer of being banished from the track, it’s amazing to see how it’s already become one of little old Bedford’s coolest new things.

With the snow having finally melted, it’s rare to pass by on Railroad Avenue and not see the field being used. Last Friday I was running by and saw at least track practice, lacrosse practice, and middle school PE classes all happening at the same time on and around the field. And this doesn’t include all the stuff happening on the JGMS side of the street and on the new tennis court, which is also looking good.

But it goes beyond the eye test.

I was on the field last Wednesday night for pickup soccer, we’ve had two pre-season baseball workouts on the turf on the past two weekends, and I’m also (shhhhh) using the yard-line markers to do sprints every now and again. Sure, the ball takes funny bounces off the synthetic surface, and yes, the little plastic pellets inevitably get transferred from cleats and shoes into the floor of my car (or, better yet, the floor of my house) but I’ll take that over muddy cleats and soaking wet clothes from the rain-and-snow-soaked grass fields of early spring.

For my money, and as a taxpayer I assume a few dollars of my own helped build this shiny new symbol of the 21^st century here in town, I’ll chalk this investment up as money well-spent. I daresay I’ll recoup my investment pretty quickly; after all, right now just my oldest is using the field, but I’ll have four more kids after him that will enjoy it for the next, oh, 18 years or so.