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19 <br />Providing a Soccer Superfund Grant to the Town of Chapel Hill for <br />conversion of softball fields at Cedar Falls Park to a synthetic surface <br />soccer field. <br />Providing the remaining soccer superfund money to Chapel Hill for this project <br />would fall in the category of matching grants within the BOCC approved Soccer <br />Superfund Policy and Guidelines. Technically, the Board would have to return the <br />funds to the Soccer Superfund, and then allocate them to Chapel Hill. If the <br />$625,000 remaining funding were made available, Chapel Hill would be required <br />to match this funding. The majority of additional guidelines or conditions within <br />the Soccer superfund Guidelines document could most likely be met if an <br />application were to be submitted by the Town. <br />Key Issues, Questions and Potential Benefits <br />There are three issue categories that must be addressed to implement this idea: <br />1. Available funding <br />2. Town Approval Issues <br />3. Health Issues <br />Questions /Issues <br />Available funding -What would the source of funding be for the amount above <br />remaining soccer superfund money ($625,000) needed for the Smith option? <br />($250,000-1 field or $1,050,000-both fields.) Can the grant match be met by the <br />Town of Chapel Hill for the Cedar Falls option? The 2009 PARTF grant <br />application deadline has past. Chapel Hill proposes to submit an application with <br />the next cycle. <br />Town Approval Issues -Would the County receive assurance of a commitment <br />to timely development of the project by either jurisdiction? Would permitting and <br />required studies add to Orange County's cost? In 2007 Carrboro was reluctant to <br />cover/waive required fees and studies for the Smith project. Chapel Hill <br />proposes engineering be completed in-house and states that they are not <br />required to pay their own fees. <br />Health/Safety Issues -Last spring, an alarm was raised throughout the country <br />regarding certain health risks associated with synthetic turf products. A study of <br />several fields was conducted in New Jersey, and two were found to be potentially <br />hazardous due to the age of the fields. Over time, the recycled rubber tire infill <br />used breaks down into smaller particulate matter, which can be inhaled or <br />ingested. In addition, a study conducted by the Connecticut Agricultural <br />