Write to boe@hohschools.org about your thoughts on the matter, they are reading the letters. Please try to attend the next BOE meeting which is Wednesday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. Thanks again for your continued support--it is being noticed. 

Here is the summary: 

HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON SYNTHETIC TURF FACTS - April 2026

THE VOTE ON TURF FIELDS
 

In June 2025, voters approved $8.1 million for two synthetic turf fields at Burke Estate as part of a larger capital bond. Proposition 3 passed 1,440 to 1,369 — a margin of just 71 votes. A shift of 36 votes would have defeated it.

WHAT WAS PROMISED
 

Before the vote, the Board publicly committed to the following requirements in a Board endorsed memo and an email sent out to the community. These were stated at community forums, published on the bond website, and promoted by supporters on yard signs across town:

●     Turf must be free of lead and PFAS (no qualifications, no exceptions)

●     Infill must exclude rubber - organic or mineral alternatives only

●     Turf must be recyclable or repurposable
 
 

See screenshot below from the email that was sent out on June 13, 2025, weeks before the vote.

WHAT THE TESTING FOUND AND HOW THE BOARD VOTED ON APRIL 8, 2026
 

The district released testing results (Page 59+ of this doc) fewer than 24 hours before the Board voted to award the contract. Two Board members were absent and one board member voted against it.

That testing was conducted by Gradient, a consultant hired and paid by FieldTurf, the vendor seeking the contract. This is not independent testing.

Even so, the results show PFAS are present:

●     PFOA: detected in every single sample tested. The EPA's health goal for PFOA in drinking water is zero because no safe level exists.

●     PFOS: detected at up to 590 parts per trillion in turf blade samples. The EPA's legally enforceable drinking water limit for PFOS is 4 ppt. The turf tested at 147 times that limit.

●     Additional PFAS detected across samples include PFBA, PFPeA, PFHxA, 6:2 FTS, and others.

The "J" qualifier used throughout the report does not mean the results are uncertain. It means the chemicals are confirmed present; the precise concentration is an estimate. It does not make them disappear.

Two independent national scientific experts reviewed these results and were unequivocal. One stated: "This is the farthest thing I have seen from PFAS-free."

THE BOARD'S RESPONSE
 

The Board argues that the applicable legal standard is "intentionally added" PFAS, meaning if FieldTurf attests they didn't intentionally add PFAS, the product is compliant.

There are three problems with this:

1.    The pre-referendum commitment said "PFAS-free" not "free of intentionally added PFAS." That distinction was never communicated to voters.

2.    The law being cited (ECL Section 37-0123) has not been enacted. It is a proposed bill still in committee. The law that is actually in effect — the NYS Carpet EPR Law (ECL

§ 27-3313) — bans PFAS in turf effective December 31, 2026, with no threshold and no intentionally-added exception.

3.    The testing conducted by Gradient, a consultant hired and paid by FieldTurf, the vendor seeking the contract showed there is PFAS in the turf blades.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL RISK
 

PFAS don't stay on the field. The Burke Estate contains Hastings' largest wetland. Factory Brook, which originates on the property, flows directly into the Hudson River. PFAS leaching from turf fields into the surrounding soil and waterways would affect the broader community and ecosystem — not just athletes.

WHAT WE ARE ASKING
 

1.    Pause the contract

2.    Honor the plain-language commitment made to voters: PFAS-free means no PFAS

3.    Explain publicly why the standard was changed after the vote

KEY SOURCES
 

●     Bond vote results

●     Original specifications

●     Email to community on June 13, 2025

●     Testing results: BOE Capital Bond document, pages 61 & 66 (Gradient memo)

●     NYS turf ban: dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/recycling-composting/carpet

●     Burke Estate wetlands/Factory Brook

If you are concerned about the Board vote, please email them ASAP and/or make a public comment at the next Board meeting.
 

Next Board meeting: Wednesday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m.

Alex Dal Piaz - dalpiaza@hohschools.org Jodie Myer- meyerj@hohschools.org David Barone - baroned@hohschools.org

Catherine DiMartino - dimartinoc@hohschools.org Theresa McCaffrey - mccaffreyt@hohschools.org

Maureen Lennon-Santana - lennonsantanam@hohschools.org David Weinstein - weinsteind@hohschools.org