Woodsom lawsuit protects against chemical treatment.

Amesbury News
Thursday, March 29, 2007

To the editor:

Now that it has been confirmed that cats and dogs that ate certain pet foods
died from the presence of none other than, “rat poison” will the town wake
up and pay attention? Past mayors: Costello, Hildt, and now Kezer have
joined with the soccer field proponents in accusing the opponents of the
fields at Woodsom Farm of being against kids, obstructionists, and other
name calling and unfair characterizations as they perpetuate this lawsuit in
superior court. Remember, the original proposal for the Soccer Fields was
for six professional quality fields with intensive chemical treatments,
professional sod, in ground irrigation, and all at a cost of $1.5 million.

CNN News Flash! Rat poison found in pet foods, March 23.
CNN News Flash! Pet owners join in class action lawsuit for death of pets,
March 23.

The Woodsom Farm Soccer Field lawsuit filed in Superior Court, has from the
beginning attempted to protect Amesbury residents from just such hazards.
Yes the people that had to sue the town to stop that project and that the
soccer advocates so vehemently vilify are trying to avoid and prevent just
such a disaster.

If the adamant proponents of the soccer fields would just think for a minute
and read the permit documents proposed by the town they would see that
“rodenticide”, yes, “rat poison” is just one of the many chemicals that the
town proposes to use to create and maintain those pristine fields for our
children to play on. Some of the others are: pesticides, herbicides, and
fungicides. Do you want your children playing on these substances? Do you
want them in your water? Do you wants birds and pets exposed to them? Mayor
Kezer caved in to political pressure and stopped the mowing at Woodsom last
year to save the bobolinks. What will he do about intensive application of
chemicals once the pristine fields are built?

These harsh chemicals will not only endanger and most likely kill all
rodents including rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, moles, and mice but it will
then kill any birds or other animals that prey on these rodents in the wild.
It will also affect any pets that run in that area and it will run down the
hills behind the Woodsom fields and into our watershed. If it misses our
watershed it will still contaminate all along the Powow River as it runs
eventually into Lake Gardner our only public swimming area.

However, our children, those that play on those intended fields will be
coming in direct contact with those poisons and will be in the most danger
every time they play there.

Wake up Amesbury we don’t need to destroy Woodsom Farm Fields with a highly
intensified, professional playing area. What’s wrong with the grassy fields
that they play on now? Is it worth the price? Do the people of Amesbury need
those fields so badly that they are willing to pay the price of ignoring all
of the evidence against such a plan? Call up the Mayor and tell him that for
once he may have to do the right thing, for the right reasons drop the
Soccer Field project and build it somewhere else. The State has offered to
help us build it at Margaret Rice Park an area already designated for
recreation. Are they waiting until Fafard gets going again and then they
will also give those 20 acres away for $1?

John Iacobucci
Hillside Avenue
Amesbury