Flagstone slabs descend like stairs from the back door of Willow and Rhett Jeppson’s Sugar House home.

They lead to a patio surrounded by boulders and lush greenery, with a small waterfall bubbling nearby. Mature trees shelter the oasis from Utah’s dry summer heat.

But a stench pilfers any sense of tranquility.

It reeks of hot rubber. The odor seems to hover, gumming itself to everything.

The couple say they haven’t been able to enjoy their yard for over a year now — ever since the Salt Lake City School District first installed turf at the new Rosslyn Heights Sports Complex, which opened in fall and primarily serves Highland High School students.

The 7.19-acre campus, which backs up to the Jeppsons’ property, was once the site of Rosslyn Heights Elementary School. Now, at 2291 S. 2000 East, it hosts six tennis courts, stadium-quality flood lights and a huge multi-purpose artificial turf field.

Like many artificial fields, it has crumb rubber infill, which is made from recycled, ground-up tires. The material helps provide extra traction and cushioning for athletes, but it also traps heat and can release chemicals and microplastics.

The Jeppsons aren’t alone. Another roughly 36 other households abut the smelly heat island. Several have raised their concerns with the Salt Lake City School District, including at a recent June 2 board meeting, but so far, the Jeppsons and at least a handful of other neighbors feel little’s been done.

“I’m a prisoner in my house,” said Dale Myrberg, an 84-year-old resident who has lived in the area for decades. “The field has given me great anxiety and stress, and I can’t deal with that. So, I sit in my house.”

Two chain-link fences, spaced about 20 feet apart, run parallel to each other around the complex’s perimeter to provide a bit of a buffer. Still, the edge of the field begins roughly 90 feet — about the length of an IMAX cinema screen — from several residents‘ back doors, according to their own measurements.

“The problem here is you can’t contain your property on your property line,” Willow Jeppson said, referring to the district. “You can’t contain the fumes. You can’t contain the heat.”

In a statement, district spokesperson Yándary Chatwin said “some odor is normal with new rubber installations and dissipates over time.”

“The rubber infill we selected is one of the highest-rated clean rubber systems available,” she said, “and was chosen specifically for its fall protection performance for student-athletes.”

She noted the district did evaluate other options, like coconut-based alternatives, but they can carry a higher risk of student injury.

Initial survey indicated support, district says

The Salt Lake City school board first greenlit the $6.4 million sports’ complex in November 2023. The decision was, in part, motivated by plans to rebuild West and Highland high schools, which voters hadn’t yet approved.

Still, officials anticipated Highland High athletes would need a place to practice and play during the potential rebuild phase — and they looked to Rosslyn Heights.

The elementary school there had long been shuttered. A district-sponsored public charter took over the campus in 2006, but the district let the aging building’s lease lapse in summer 2023. Its proximity to Highland made it an ideal location.

Before the board signed off, though, district officials in 2023 surveyed roughly 250 residents who live in the area, asking two questions.

The first explained the overall design plan, noting it would include “one artificial turf field for soccer and lacrosse,” and asked if they would support it with the board’s approval.

Most — 222 — said yes, while 30 asked for more information and seven said no.

The second indicated lighting would need to be installed and asked if residents would support that, noting officials “would ensure directional lighting and strict hours following city and county code to reduce impact on the surrounding neighborhood.”

Again, most — 218 — said yes, while 35 asked for more information and seven said no.

Among the comments residents raised were “questions about safety concerns related to artificial turf,” surveyors documented. A resounding number of people separately asked if pickleball courts could be installed, but without a high school pickleball team, the district declined.

Isaac Astill, the district’s executive director for Auxiliary Services, also noted resident pushback when he presented updates to the board in September 2023.

“I have met with the Sugar House Community Council and some other people in the area,” Astill said. “[The] resounding message that I’m hearing is, ‘We’re really concerned about what you’re going to do with the property; please don’t put baseball fields on the property.’”

“Obviously it’s our property,” he continued, “and it’s whatever the need for the district comes first.”

‘Keen to explore ways to be a better neighbor’

In the year since the turf was installed, the Jeppsons said their yard has suffered from its intense heat island effect. In particular, they noticed a substance oozing from their Canadian chokecherry tree, which hadn’t previously shown signs of distress.

“That was our first ‘canary in the coal mine’ moment,” Willow Jeppson said.

An arborist they asked to assess the tree in September noted in a letter that the damage was “almost entirely on the side of the tree facing the turf field.”

He diagnosed the tree with an incurable fungal infection.

“In my professional opinion, this is caused by the massive heat wave brought on by the Astro Turf field,” the arborist wrote.

Studies have shown that it’s not uncommon for turf fields in places including Utah to exceed 150 degrees during summer months, because the rubber infill absorbs and radiates heat.

The Jeppsons joined roughly 60 other residents at an October town hall to air their concerns about the turf, which Salt Lake City has prohibited residents from installing in their personal front yards since 1995, citing drawbacks that include making “neighborhoods hotter,” according to the city’s website. That doesn’t apply to the district.

Superintendent Elizabeth Grant attended the October meeting at Highland High School with Astill and board member Amanda Longwell, during which Willow Jeppson made a proposal: Carefully remove the artificial turf and the lights, save them for the Highland High campus rebuild and replant the area with grass.

More than a month later, Grant wrote in an email to the Jeppsons that the district had investigated and “seriously considered your proposed solutions.”

“We have decided against removing the artificial turf,” Grant wrote. “In selecting this particular product, the district made an informed decision based on the needs of its students, schools and stakeholders.”

She added district officials “respectfully disagree” the field has caused a nuisance that the “district is obligated to remedy.”

She added that the district would consider mitigation efforts, including assessing whether the scheduling of activities at the complex could be adjusted.

In her statement, Chatwin said the district has since limited when the stadium lights turn on and posted signage in the area informing the public about usage rules. The district also plans to install “additional trees and bushes” to provide residents more privacy.

“We understand that living adjacent to a sports complex can present some unique issues for residents,” Grant acknowledged. “Consequently, we are keen to explore ways to be a better neighbor.”

‘This isn’t a ‘NIMBY’ complaint’

In April, a lacrosse ball struck the Jeppson’s home, which Willow Jeppson said led to a small win: The Utah Division of Risk Management determined the field’s soccer and lacrosse goals should be locked down, so people can’t move them too close to fence lines. Chatwin confirmed those goals are now kept locked.

Still, residents living along 2000 East in particular are frustrated.

“We can’t even hang out in our yard on Friday or Saturday or Sunday,” Keith Donovan said.

That’s because, he said, the Rosslyn Heights Sports Complex is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and its operating hours bring a barrage of noise: Kids screaming, whistles blowing, music blasting.

Strangers have also wandered into his yard, he said, looking for lost balls.

“I come home from work, and when I turn on that street, my anxiety level starts going up,” he said.

The residents said they recognize that Highland High students deserve an area to practice and play. They also agree there’s value in shared public spaces. That’s why, in general, they say they support the athletic field.

“This isn’t a ‘NIMBY’ complaint,” said Rhett Jeppson. The term stands for “not in my backyard” and generally refers to the opposition of situating something largely considered undesirable in one’s neighborhood.

“Our main concern is that a public entity, which exists to serve the community by educating children, decided to place an unusually large artificial turf installation directly next to homes,” Rhett Jeppson said. “The field is ruining several neighboring families’ ability to enjoy our own yards.”

The residents said they’re still hopeful that the district will work with them toward a solution.