Costs and Benefits

What the city actually spends on artificial-turf maintenance remains a mystery, but repairs are wildly inconsistent. Soccer players in Brooklyn's Dyker Beach Park said they have never seen a Parks Department worker maintain the turf there, and the condition of the three artificial fields lent credence to their claims. The green plastic blades had been worn off in spots, leaving just the rubber crumbs. Lines were missing, and the surface was loose and bunching. Two of the fields had gaps as wide as 8 inches, where the turf had broken down completely and rocks were coming up from the dirt under the pad. The heat was oppressive, forcing players to periodically pour water on their shoes.

Other fields appeared to get fixed on a catch-as-catch-can basis. A year ago, Manhattan's East River Park had an artificial- turf field in tatters, with opened seams and ripped-out lines. The carpet could be lifted off the ground. On a recent visit, however, the field had been patched and stitched together again, though its splits consequently reopened, and the field developed several new tears. It retained two "sinkholes," or depressions, from before the time of the fixes. Even when repairs are made, there's no telling how long they'll stick.