As a parent of three kids who have used Westfield fields for the past 18 years, we are past time for more turf fields.

I’m not sure proponents of grass fields fully appreciate the cost, time, and manpower it would take to properly maintain grass fields across town. Most colleges play soccer on grass and employ full-time staff to maintain the fields. Even then, grass fields can be susceptible to fungus and become unplayable for an entire season.

Even if the budget could cover the maintenance costs, what happens when there’s heavy rain? I can’t count the number of times practices and games were canceled on the town’s grass fields due to the potential for damage to the grass. So, we will continue to have that problem.

The girls high school varsity soccer team practices on Roosevelt when there’s no availability at Kehler. Worse than the terrible field condition, which is hard dirt and weeds, is the dog feces. The signs at the schools saying no pets on the fields doesn’t deter. Watch the dogs on the baseball fields at Gumpert. If there’s grass, pets will be on it. Period.

Even the gym teachers at Edison use Kehler’s turf when there’s all that grass behind the school.

Whether it’s one field or multiple, it’s beyond time that Westfield added turf fields.