FORT BRAGG, 8/1/25 – A Change.org petition urging city officials to halt the installation of artificial turf at Bainbridge Park’s incoming soccer field and poured-in-place rubber at Wiggly Giggly Playground has gathered more than 200 signatures, as construction moves forward on a project that began with public workshops about a decade ago.
The petition, which argues there are considerable health and environmental risks associated with chemicals in both types of artificial surface, caught my attention. As a local mom who frequents the park, I was alarmed when I saw the petition circulating on social media – and as a journalist, I knew it was time to start asking questions.
What I found was, as these things often are, a complex issue.
Kate Anderson, a local mom who started the petition, said she frequents the park with her children, and they are very happy about the new play structures recently installed in the playground. She said she thought that was the extent of the project; however, when she saw the field at Bainbridge Park fenced off, with heavy machinery and the ground dug up, she began looking into what else was happening – and that’s when she discovered plans to resurface the playground and install an artificially turfed soccer field.
“I’ve gone to other playgrounds where both tire waste crumb and this kind of foam stuff has been used, and I know there’s just been a lot of concern about the types of pollutant exposure that comes along with those types of materials,” Anderson said.
Currently, the playground surface is made of wood chips, which the city plans to replace with poured-in-place rubber, a slightly squishy, often colorful material typically made from recycled rubber. Behind the playground is the Veterans Memorial Building, and beyond that is Bainbridge Park, which was a grass field before construction began. To the south of the playground are tennis courts, with basketball courts just beyond them. The city plans to install an artificial turf soccer field behind the basketball courts, while preserving some natural grass on the opposite side, along with a pavilion, picnic tables, and native plants and trees. Together, these features form a square-shaped park complex which takes up about half a block.
Lead, PHAs, phthalates, TPE, and other chemicals as well as recycled rubber tires are some of Anderson’s concerns. She states in the petition that these, especially chemicals found in waste tires, can lead to a host of health issues, including cancer, endocrine disruption, and more, citing reports from the California Coastal Commission.
One Coastal Commission report concerning a playground project in Southern California states that “shredded recycled tires,” also called “crumb rubber,” used to make poured-in-place rubber playgrounds, are known to contain toxic chemicals hazardous to humans and the environment.
“Many studies have documented that hazardous chemicals in tire rubber can leach into water and soil, off-gas, and be transported via dust and particles into the environment, causing toxicity in a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial organisms,” the report states.
It goes on to discuss artificial turf, stating that recycled tire crumb filling in that setting is also dangerous, although research on exposure to players is limited.
Mayor Jason Godeke said that over the last 10 years the city has been very carefully reviewing the materials for the Fort Bragg project to ensure the best and safest possible outcomes for the community.
“There’s a lot of work, a lot of science being done on this,” Godeke said. “It’s something we’re trying to be very careful about.”
As far as the playground goes, he said the woodchips are being replaced to become ADA-compliant. Wood chips are not considered accessible for wheelchairs.
“Ultimately, this is being done so that more children in the community can enjoy the playground,” he said.
The city states on its website that it selected a turf for the soccer field with a “naturally occurring, rounded silica sand coated with polymer,” and goes on to state that “unlike systems using loose crumb rubber infill (often cited in health and environmental concerns), PolyTurf’s turf combines this sand-based infill with non-toxic, lead-free polyethylene fibers and a dense nylon thatch to eliminate loose-fill risks.”
While it was initially unclear to me if crumb rubber was going to be used in the project, either in the playground or the soccer fields, Godeke confirmed that it is.
“Both the new ADA-compliant playground surface and the soccer courts use recycled rubber granules sourced from post-consumer tires,” he said in an email. “These granules are fully encapsulated beneath a durable, cured surface, so park users never come into direct contact with the tire-based materials.”
Godeke said that for the poured-in-place rubber at Wiggly Giggly Playground, the base layer of shredded recycled rubber will be topped with food-grade rubber. He said that for the soccer courts, PolyTurf uses “previous underlayment of recycled rubber granules and a non-toxic, lead-free synthetic turf surface topped with polymer-coated silica sand.”
In the email, Godeke cited multiple studies that support the city’s claim that the materials used in both areas of the project are not likely to pose significant health risks to users.
A Canadian study from 2018 concluded that even though hazardous chemicals were found in components of poured-in-place playground surface systems, the product as a whole didn’t pose a risk as the ingredients were “expected to be inextricably bound in the product.” That study did acknowledge some information gaps.
Another study referenced by Godeke, from the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment California Environmental Protection Agency, found “no significant health risks to players, coaches, referees and spectators” concerning the use of artificial turf.
At the project site in Fort Bragg, there’s a posted illustration of what the project will look like once finished. One thing that wasn’t clear to me was which parts were artificial turf and which parts, if any, were real grass, as both are depicted in the same color. At a special city council meeting on March 11, a member of the public expressed fear that there wouldn’t be a place for children to play freely in real grass.
As a mom, this worried me, too. I had my son’s first birthday party at the park this year, and I see parties there regularly. The absence of space like this would be a great loss to the community. But Godeke cleared up my confusion.
He said the soccer fields with artificial turf would be in their own fenced area, and the rest of the green space pictured in the illustration would be real grass. He said there were areas designated for new native plants and trees, along with picnic tables and a pavilion where live events could take place.
“They’re literally the size of the basketball court, a fenced area,” Godeke said of the soccer fields.
Public comment at the March 11 meeting showed overwhelming support from the soccer community, many of whom had personal stories of injuries happening at the fields that are currently available for use, such as at Dana Grey Elementary School. Many coaches, players and parents showed up to express their support for the all-weather turf and said that the current fields are dangerous – with Mendocino Coast Park and Recreation District Manager Kylie Felicich emphasizing the hazards.
“We had 350 kids in this community that played Coast Youth Soccer this fall, we had 36 teams, 66 coaches, and we were on some of the worst Third World fields that you could ever imagine in a horror movie,” Felicich said.
Many commenters said that the reason these fields are dangerous is that gopher holes, uneven ground and weather can lead to serious injury – and some even shared specific incidents where this happened.
One person in attendance said her daughter broke her foot playing on a local soccer field. Another said her son had a compromised immune system and could only play soccer. She said that when he hit a gopher hole and got injured, he lost a large part of his social life and ended up in a depression.
Another topic brought up by a few coaches was the potential for a safe, all-weather field to divert the community’s youth away from drugs, gaming addiction and gangs, as well as reduce screentime in today’s heavily online world.
“If you’re going to put a price tag on gangs and drugs and just going the wrong direction, I think this court is going to divert those type of people from going in that direction,” said resident Richard Garcia, who said he was born and raised locally.
Tides of public opinion had turned by July
While attendees at the March 11 meeting mostly supported the project, more community members dissented at a City Council meeting on July 14.
Many members of the community said they were simply unaware of the city’s plans until they saw the construction begin.
The issues they raised included the potential for harm to residents being exposed to chemicals, especially children, as well as the potential for PFAs or “forever chemicals,” and microplastics to leach into the city’s water. Off-gassing that can cause asthma attacks as well as skin irritation was also brought up.
One resident, Chris Cisper, who said he’s lived in the community for over 30 years, said he doesn’t feel the city is being transparent with the public. He feared lawsuits from health issues that he believes could arise for residents might cost the city millions down the road.
“This is our land, our children, our water, and we’re paying for it to be polluted,” he said. “All I’m asking for is to sit down and have a discussion before you put this in.”
Another meeting attendee, Tamara Baxman, said she’s lived locally since 1981, raising four children and now one grandchild, all frequenting the park. She said that state laws are changing to restrict the use of certain materials that contain PFAs, and expressed concern that the city might be using materials that she said will soon be outlawed.
“It seems like this is being pushed through before it becomes illegal,” she said.
There have been and continue to be a variety of legislative efforts to restrict PFAs, but the city says it is acting in accordance with environmental law. On the city’s FAQ page, it provides some detail into the current laws applicable to this project.
Assistant Director of Fort Bragg Public Works Chantell O’Neal said at the July 14 meeting that the material selection was done carefully and in accordance with environmental law.
“Overall, it’s a fantastic project. There’s many elements to it, and as far as the material selection throughout the project development, we prioritized safety, durability and environmental responsibility,” O’Neal said.
According to O’Neal, this project was made possible with a $2 million Prop 68 grant.
Anderson said she spoke with the person administering the grant about her concerns regarding possible carcinogens, and was told that carcinogens are simply hard to avoid.
Anderson disagrees, and in her petition lays out alternative materials that could be used, such as engineered wood fiber, cork poured-in-place surfacing, natural rubber and more.
Fort Bragg isn’t alone in this controversy.
In a 2024 article from the Sierra Club that references “artificial turf wars,” there are multiple instances of cities dealing with controversy over whether or not to install artificial turf. The article even states that the nonprofit Center for Environmental Health tested samples of artificial turf and found high levels of PFAs. The article also states that more cities are banning artificial turf.
But the Fort Bragg project is underway, and it does not appear that the city is planning to halt progress due to concerns from the community. According to the project’s website, the grand re-opening of the finished park is expected to happen late this year or early next year.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s a complex issue, and I don’t envy the decision-makers. As a journalist, forming an opinion isn’t part of the job, and I’m grateful for that. In cases like this, valid points are raised on all sides. Still, the passion and care shown by my community make me proud to be a local. I’m thankful for the public dialogue helping us all better understand what’s at stake.
So, will I take my son to the park once the new surface is in place? Even with my reservations (and I do have them), the answer is yes. Avoiding every risk just isn’t possible. As much as I wish I could guarantee he’ll never be exposed to harmful chemicals, and I wish the city weren’t using crumb rubber at all, I know keeping him from playing with his friends at the local playground just isn’t realistic. And honestly, he loves rubbing my car tires, so our own yard might not be much safer.
Reports like this makes me think our community is averse to cost-benefit tradeoffs. It’s not but it seems that way because a minority are unwilling to accept a decision that strikes a balance of costs and benefits, almost always ignoring the benefits while hyping the costs.
My school district opted for artificial turf for high school football fields, citing the safety & lower costs to maintain. The reality has been a nightmare: players fallen on the turf are picking up microbes left by others & there’s been a dramatic rise in MRSA type infections that just won’t heal. The turf is much harder to disinfect than natural grass and drastically more expensive; there are multiple lawsuits over long term injuries or sustained infections by students using these fields. I’ll note that we’re not alone in suffering this issue – you should look into how these surfaces are faring in other California installations.
Thank you!
Merely because something is currently legal and/or cost effective does not mean the studies cited by Fort Bragg officials are correct scientifically. In the long term, any installation of old rubber and PFA materials is playing with your children’s and fellow residents health. Southern California has been removing the same due to health issues occurring several years after installation. Nothing wrong with grasses and the labor involved with maintenance. Consider the science and use good care.
Absolutely!
Real turf. !!!! There are already few places to feel the grounding!!!! Our bodies crave earth Noy rubber. Listen listen. That’s why beaches and wood are healing !!!!!!!