Plan Commission defers decision on Middleton High School field rezoning after heated turf debate

The City of Middleton Plan Commission deferred action on a proposed amendment to the comprehensive plan future land use map and a companion rezoning request for property north of 2100 Bristol (west of 2403 Parklawn Place) that would allow renovation of the Middleton High School baseball field and construction of a new softball field. Commissioners said they wanted further input from the Conservancy Lands Committee and additional review of application materials before making a recommendation to the council.

The item drew a large turnout and sharply divided testimony. Jared Roseng, the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District assistant superintendent of operations, urged approval so the district could build a softball field and expand use of the campus. He told commissioners turf would greatly expand event capacity — saying the district could move from roughly 96 baseball events a year on grass to more than 575 on turf and from about 72 softball events to roughly 254 — and that turf would save tens of thousands of dollars annually on maintenance.

Opponents, including environmental advocates and local residents, focused on water quality and habitat. Steve Glass, a Dane County resident, urged commissioners to reject artificial turf because of the risk that chemicals and microplastic debris could wash into Pheasant Branch Creek and downstream to Lake Mendota. Ria Delvey, president of the Middleton High School Green Team and a student representative on the Conservancy Lands Committee, said the conservancy uplands are ecologically important and warned turf would increase impervious surface and runoff; she asked that approval be conditioned on installing grass instead of plastic surfacing.

School-district and athletics proponents argued turf would increase access and equity. Jamie Sims, athletic director for the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, said turf would allow physical-education classes and nonathletic programs to use fields year-round and reduce travel burdens for students. Ray Feinberg, a junior and varsity baseball player, described practical burdens caused when teams must use off-campus facilities.

Other speakers supplied technical and procedural arguments. Brent Jorgensen read comments from Brian Goucher, the district’s head of facilities, noting that an existing north field is sheet-drained to the nature preserve and listing fertilizers and herbicides used in current maintenance. Kurt Paulson, a former plan commissioner, said rezoning could be approved without conditioning it on the surface material and that stormwater and site design are more appropriate places to address runoff questions.

Planning staff said the area proposed for rezoning is primarily already used for recreation under a lease to the school district and that staff do not expect tree removal within the creek corridor for the footprint shown in the application. After extensive public input, a commissioner moved to defer the comprehensive-plan amendment and the rezoning request to a future meeting so the Conservancy Lands Committee and staff could provide additional review; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Next steps: the commission asked staff to coordinate Conservancy Lands Committee input and legal/packet clarifications and indicated the item will return to the commission at a future meeting for further consideration.