The distress of many Island residents regarding the school district’s decision to control access to the Mercer Island stadium is understandable. It seems yet another loss in the march toward the taking of rights and freedoms we have all enjoyed and, frankly, take for granted. Islanders pay a premium to live here and do in part because of what our town offers in the way of public parks and facilities that include our state-of-the-art fields. We want to believe that our Island is still a safe place, celebrated for its culture of trust and community, where we can come and go wherever and whenever we please. Yet, like everywhere else, the real world intervenes.

Quite simply, the majority of public facilities are locked after hours. For the most part, school district facilities are no different. They are expensive and complex to maintain. The decision by the school district to replace the field surface at the stadium because it was deemed no longer safe — at the highly inconvenient time just before school started — is a case in point. The keys words here are ‘surface’ and ‘asset.’ Fields are no longer just grass (and those that remain grass have their own issues), and as such, are worth up to a half million dollars or more. They need to be protected not only to ensure the safety of student athletes but to protect the investment of the community. By making the decision to restrict access, the school district has made a move already made several years ago by other Eastside school districts to lock up their fields. The reasons? To keep fields from being damaged by the wrong footwear, wear and tear, vandalism and illegal activities. The school district will offer key access to citizens for a small fee — ensuring that those who wish to use the track have the ability to do so. A bit disheartening and irksome, but doable.