Saint Anselm seeks approval for new track complex; board delays decision to June 2

Saint Anselm College asked the Bedford Planning Board on May 5 to approve a site plan for a new track and field complex on the college property in Bedford and Goffstown.

The proposal covers a synthetic turf field encircled by a track, throwing and jumping areas, bleachers and a small field house and support buildings totaling about 7,000 square feet. The college’s attorney, Ari Pollock, told the board the project has received a final zoning variance related to filling a small wetland and that the state has issued a wetlands permit and an alteration of terrain permit for stormwater management.

Pollock said the college and its consultants revised the plans after meetings with town staff and provided conditions in response to the planning memo. “We feel that the vast majority of [the recommended conditions] are quite workable in their current form,” Pollock said.

Nick Olin, the civil engineer from TF Moran, reviewed site layout, parking (approximately 300 campus spaces nearby), landscaping, stormwater and utilities. He said the proposed sports lighting would use Musco fixtures on very tall poles to limit glare on the playing surface; the applicant initially proposed 90‑foot poles and has discussed 80‑foot poles as a possible compromise. Olin said lowering poles to 70 feet, as staff recommended, “would create an unsafe playing field” under the lighting consultant’s guidance.

The board’s discussion focused heavily on three technical issues: stadium lighting height and light spill, acoustical controls and post‑construction monitoring for PFAS from the artificial turf and infill, and long‑term stormwater operation and maintenance. The applicant provided a noise protocol prepared by an acoustical consultant and described a proposed limit of 60 dBA at the property line for PA and other amplified sound. A college representative said the applicant will require post‑construction testing and submit results to Bedford and Goffstown.

PFAS testing and standards were a major point of debate. The applicant said it had engaged a PFAS expert and proposed third‑party testing protocols; staff and Goffstown officials asked for pre‑ and post‑construction sampling, monitoring of imported fill, and ongoing (annual or biannual) reporting to Bedford and Goffstown. The college’s representatives said they would work with town staff to refine the testing protocol and agree to share test results as public records.

Town staff and Goffstown officials also raised access and intermunicipal sewer questions. Olin said the facility’s sewer and much of the utility service will be routed through Goffstown in the short term under an intermunicipal agreement, with a long‑term plan to extend Bedford sewer to the site if further development in Bedford makes that feasible.

Public commenters included an attorney for nearby abutters who urged strict, verifiable enforcement of noise limits and criticized a long‑running stormwater problem tied to existing campus infrastructure. Goffstown planning officials asked that any monitoring reports be provided to both towns.

After more than three hours of technical presentation and public comment, the planning board voted to table final action and continue the application to the board’s June 2 meeting to allow staff and the applicant to resolve outstanding conditions, particularly PFAS test language, lighting details and enforceable monitoring and notification procedures. The board recorded its continuance as formal notice to abutters.

Why it matters: The project would add a sanctioned athletic facility that spans municipal boundaries and involves multiple regulatory systems—local zoning, state wetlands and stormwater permits, and intermunicipal sewer agreements. The college’s commitments on noise, testing and maintenance will determine whether nearby residents’ concerns are mitigated and whether the board can adopt enforceable conditions.

What happens next: Planning staff will review the applicant’s most recent PFAS protocol and other submittals and return the item to the board on June 2 with refined condition language.