Fielding our Future
One Island. One Project. Four Schools. Four Seasons.
This Decision Belongs to All of Us The facts are clear. The science is current. The need is real… Stay informed.
One Island. One Project. Four Schools. Four Seasons.
This Decision Belongs to All of Us The facts are clear. The science is current. The need is real… Stay informed.
This project is a renovation of Capizzo Stadium to meet the needs of today's and future students and the broader Nantucket community.
It includes a new regulation track, a turf field, ADA compliant grandstands, a new Boosters building, and dark skies compliant lighting. Together, these improvements create an incredible facility that can support students, families, and community use throughout the year and for generations to come.
Right now, our facilities fall short in every one of these areas. They are outdated, overused, and in some cases unusable for regulation competition. This project addresses those gaps all at once, with a thoughtful, long term solution.
But beyond the list of upgrades, this is about something simple.
It is about giving Nantucket kids a place that actually works for them.
Our Nantucket track athletes have never had the chance to compete at home. Today, more than 70 high school students participate in track, yet not one home meet can be held here. Our track is not regulation. They must travel off island for their "home meets".
Think about that. No home crowd. No familiar field. No chance for parents, grandparents, and classmates to gather and cheer them on their home field.
A regulation track changes that. It brings those moments home, where they belong.
Our grass fields are pushed beyond their limits. Weather cancels games. Overuse leads to unsafe conditions. Practices get squeezed into whatever space is available. The result is not just inconvenience. It is lost opportunities.
A high performance field creates consistency. It gives every team a dependable place to play, across seasons, without constant disruption. It takes pressure off every other field on the island and makes the entire system work better.
Right now, not everyone in our community can easily access or fully enjoy events at the stadium. ADA compliant grandstands change that. They make it possible for everyone to be part of the experience. To show up and cheer on their beloved Nantucket Whalers.
A new press box also brings the facility up to a level that properly supports games and events, improving visibility, organization, and the overall experience for athletes, spectators, and the community. That matters.
Games, events, and community gatherings rely on basic infrastructure that we currently lack. Updated restrooms and a new Boosters building provide the essential support needed for students, families, and volunteers.
These are the details that turn a field into a functional, welcoming place for the entire community.
Thoughtful Lighting for a Year Round Community
Nantucket's seasons and daylight hours are not always on our side. Dark skies compliant lighting allows for more flexibility, more practice time, and more opportunities to play, while still respecting the island's environmental priorities.
Our proposed turf infill tested non-detect — less than 0.012 parts per billion. Here's how that compares to the consumer products your family already uses every day.
Claims about turf-related injuries are frequently oversimplified. While professional athletes experience higher rates of certain ankle and foot injuries on turf, overall injury rates are comparable between well-maintained grass and modern synthetic fields.
What is rarely discussed: modern turf systems are engineered to absorb impact and have been shown to reduce the severity of head-to-ground injuries, specifically concussion symptoms. For high school athletes, where concussion prevention is a critical priority, this is a meaningful consideration.
Our students are not professional athletes competing on NFL-level surfaces. Comparing youth athletic conditions to professional leagues overlooks significant differences in age, physical development, and the resources available for field maintenance. A high school field that sees 1,300 hours of use per year[1] cannot be compared to a professional field that sees fewer than 75 hours[1].
The assumption that grass is the affordable option collapses under scrutiny. According to a 2024 Montgomery County Office of Legislative Oversight report[1], the 10-year total cost of maintaining a grass athletic field is $1,000,000, compared to $120,000 for synthetic turf.
| Metric | Grass Field | Synthetic Turf |
|---|---|---|
| 10-year maintenance cost[1] | $1,000,000 | $120,000 |
| Cost per playable hour[1] | $23.73 | $5.72 |
| Annual athletics hours | 6,624 | 15,180 |
| Annual labor hours | 1,684 | 196 |
Proper grass field maintenance requires $30,000–$50,000 per field per year at minimum, plus a dedicated groundskeeper at $35,000–$58,000 plus benefits. NFL teams spend $2–3 million per year on grass maintenance — the Philadelphia Eagles replace their sod four times per year at $400,000 each.
Greenville County, South Carolina spent $24 million converting all 15 high school fields to synthetic turf[3]. Martha's Vineyard Regional High School had local companies donate their services[4] because the school couldn't afford proper grass maintenance on its own.
Nitrogen fertilizer use in the United States has increased from 3 million tons in 1960 to 19 million tons in 2021 — a six-fold increase. Only about 50% of applied fertilizer actually reaches plants; the rest leaches into groundwater, streams, and coastal waters.
The Environmental Working Group estimates 12,594 cancer cases per year[1] in the US are attributable to nitrate in drinking water. A 2024 study linked nitrate exposure to 73% higher cancer mortality[2] — even at levels below current EPA limits. EWG research suggests safe nitrate levels should be 0.14 mg/L — 70 times lower than the current EPA standard.
The CDC has found glyphosate — the active ingredient in Roundup — in 87% of children tested[3]. A 2025 UCSF study found children exposed to pesticides face a 60% higher leukemia death risk[4].
Cape Cod's situation illustrates the broader crisis: 90% of coastal bays are rated "unacceptable"[6] for water quality, driven by 6 million pounds of fertilizer and 1.3 million pounds of pesticides applied annually. Cleanup costs are projected to exceed $500 million. Worldwide, nitrogen pollution has created 415+ dead zones[7] covering an area larger than the United Kingdom. The Gulf of Mexico dead zone alone causes $2.4 billion per year[8] in fisheries damage.
Maintaining grass at Capizzo Stadium requires approximately 1.7 million gallons of water per year[1], drawn from Nantucket's sole-source aquifer. Synthetic turf requires zero irrigation. In October 2025, Nantucket declared a Level 3 Critical Drought[2].
| Metric | Grass | Synthetic Turf |
|---|---|---|
| Annual water use[1] | 1.7M gallons | 0 gallons |
| Days closed per year (weather / maintenance) | 30–50 days | Near zero |
| Healthy usage limit | 600 hours/year | No practical limit |
| Actual Nantucket usage | 1,000–1,300+ hours | Designed for this level |
Grass athletic fields are typically closed 30–50 days per year due to weather and maintenance. Professional grass fields sustain fewer than 60–75 hours of play per year[1] before requiring restoration. Nantucket's fields endure 1,000–1,300+ hours[1] — far beyond what any grass surface can sustain.
Nantucket Public Schools hired Weston & Sampson — an independent environmental engineering firm — to test whether the proposed turf system contains PFAS[1]. Two accredited labs tested every component: the TenCate turf fibers, the Brock shock pad, and the BrockFILL organic infill.
Result: No PFAS detected in any component. Both individual compound testing (70 PFAS via EPA Method 537) and total fluorine testing came back Non-Detect — meaning PFAS was below what lab instruments can even measure[1].
The detection limit was 0.012 parts per billion — 5 to 91 times below Massachusetts' strictest soil safety thresholds[1]. Meanwhile, the 2024 NPS existing-soil test results show PFOS at 0.399–0.696 ppb in the grass field soil — 33 to 58 times higher than the proposed turf's detection limit[2]. The turf system's sealed drainage layer would actually add a protective barrier that grass fields don't have.
W&S's conclusion: "We believe the synthetic turf components tested pose No Significant Health Risk from PFAS to field users or the environment."[1]
The questions we're hearing from the community — answered with sources.
This is not about turf versus grass.
It is about whether our kids have what they need.
It is about whether we provide safe, reliable, and accessible spaces for them to grow.
It is about showing up for them the same way they show up every day.
Right now, we are asking them to make do.
This project is about doing better. VOTE YES ON ARTICLE 12.