Newark athletic field gets new surface

An athletic field in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood will be rededicated this weekend after the city had a new turf installed. Newark has moved ahead with installing state-of-the-art AstroTurf at some

News 12 Staff

Jul 31, 2008, 11:09 PM

Updated 6,105 days ago

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An athletic field in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood will be rededicated this weekend after the city had a new turf installed.
Newark has moved ahead with installing state-of-the-art AstroTurf at some sites despite a conclusion by the federal government that lead exposure from older turf fields does not pose a danger to children.
"There were 46 alone in New Jersey that had the lead-contamination problem," says Chris Lester, who has been instrumental in installing the new field surface.
The athletic field in Ironbound was the only one to test positive for lead in Essex County. The new AstroTurf was deemed suitable after the city had it tested by two independent agencies. The new surface is expected to last at least 10 years.
The 180,000-square-foot project at the Ironbound field costs $1.5 million, half of which is being paid for by Newark.
To watch an extended interview about the installation of lead-free turf in a Newark athletics field, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.