What rich irony is expressed in the recent photo of Cypress Field recovering in a coat of plastic for the winter. Not long ago, a concerned group of citizens blocked a more sensible, resilient playing field surface for fear of — would you guess? — plastic. Since the short-lived rebirth of Cypress Field’s grass, we’ve gone from tundra to mudpit, from an injury waiting to happen to an orange-fenced abomination. Field closed.
We could be playing on Cypress right now; acceptable solutions exist. We all love grass, but the question should always be: is it a playing field or a park? In our densely populated town, a centrally located grass surface simply cannot be designated for sports. The result is plain to see.
To be clear, our hard-working parks department is playing a hand dealt by a vocal group of residents. The parks department officials have an impossible job, and they made clear the usage limits of grass during the process.
The original field surface debate was about public health. When we think about that, we should consider the whole picture. Let us play — it’s not too late to change our minds!
Read the original article, Brookline Then and Now: Cypress Field in winter