Turf, Phosphorus Costs Leave Council A Lot to Think About

Should the town add turf or will the proposal die after a presentation from the ad hoc turf committee?

Members of the Southington Town Council will hear a presentation from Mike DeFeo, chairman of the turf committee, tonight as they begin moving forward to determine the best way to proceed at the high school. The presentation does not mean that the town is proceeding in installing turf at anytime soon, however.

DeFeo will present a 17-page presentation to the council tonight, getting the ball rolling after the committee unanimously voted for the recommendation in February, but the presentation will not be accompanied by a vote just yet.

"It is without a doubt the more cost effective way to go," DeFeo said in late February.

Read up on the turf process using the links below and tell us where you stand:

• (Feb. 27)
• (Feb. 14)
• (Jan. 31)
• (Jan. 19)
• (Jan. 5)

But it's not just turf keeping the council eyeing costs in town and with the federal Environmental Protection Agency seemingly set on stringent phosphorus removal standards, the town council will be asked to move forward in hiring a lobbyist to combat the EPA proposed regulations.

By creating a slight change in the regulations that would allow the town to use a standard of 0.7 parts per million phosphorus instead of the proposed 0.2 parts per million, the town would be able to address the need at a fraction of the cost said Garry Brumback.

"If we are required to use the 0.2 standard, we could be looking at costs of $20 - $30 million, possibly more," said Brumback, who noted that at 0.7 parts per million, the town would be looking at a cost of about $50,000.

For more on phosphorus and the proposed standards, as well as details of a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts, .

Where do you stand with the phosphorus issue? Should the town just accept the standards proposed or are they making the right move in considering a lobbyist?