Saint Anselm College site plan for new track complex paused after hours of debate over lighting, PFAS and noise

Saint Anselm College asked the Bedford Planning Board to approve a site plan for a new track and field complex located on Runlet Hill Road (Bedford) and Saint Anselm's Drive (Goffstown). Attorney Ari Pollock, representing the Order of Saint Benedict and the college, presented revised materials and asked the board to accept the application as complete and consider conditions staff had recommended. "We feel that the vast majority of them are quite workable in their current form," Pollock said.

The project proposes a synthetic sports field surrounded by an NCAA‑compliant track, throwing event areas, bleachers, a press box and a roughly 7,000‑square‑foot support building on a roughly 23‑acre parcel. Project engineer Nick Olin (TF Moran) described subsurface stormwater storage beneath the turf, a bioretention area to treat runoff and a reconstructed forebay to repair a previously eroded drainage channel. He said the design meets state alteration‑of‑terrain requirements and that many utilities would be provided through Goffstown, subject to an intermunicipal sewer agreement.

Why it matters: the proposal sits on the municipal boundary and raised technical and neighborhood concerns about sports‑field lighting height and glare, potential PFAS (per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances) exposure from artificial turf materials, sound from public‑address systems and whether stormwater infrastructure has been properly repaired in the past. Town planning staff recommended conditions the college has largely accepted but flagged three areas the applicant and board still need to resolve: lighting pole height, PFAS testing protocols and enforceable noise monitoring.

Lighting dominated the evening. The college proposed Musco sports lighting mounted at 90 feet; staff had recommended lowering structures toward 70 feet to match other pole heights in the zone. Olin said taller mounts let manufacturers “pinpoint where our light needs to be on the field, keeping our athletes safe, but it also reduces glare and light spillage.” He said an 80‑foot compromise would be possible with modest increases in off‑site light levels measured in tenths of foot‑candles. Pollock said the design team could provide more documentation from the lighting manufacturer. Planning director Becky Hebert noted the staff memo flagged 70 feet as the suggested maximum in the zone; the board and applicant left lighting unresolved and asked for more detail.

PFAS testing and turf materials were another flash point. The project team has engaged an outside PFAS expert (Elizabeth Denley, TRC Companies) and submitted a revised testing protocol the same day as the meeting. Olin said the plan calls for material testing pre‑ and post‑installation of synthetic turf and said the design includes a sampling port in a stormwater forebay. Neighbors said they want regular, ongoing monitoring and clear remediation obligations if contamination is detected. Attorney John Bisson, representing nearby residents, told the board: "If St. Anselm wants to do this, then they should do it right." Goffstown planning and public works representatives asked that monitoring results also be sent to Goffstown.

On sound, the college presented a post‑construction testing condition designed to cap community sound at 60 dBA at the property line — a standard the presenters said was used in prior approvals. Pollock said the condition would require post‑construction confirmation that PA systems and game‑time operations meet the 60 dBA limit and that the college would coordinate with staff to define the testing program. Hebert explained enforcement would be complaint‑driven; repeated violations could lead to notices and potential fines under town enforcement procedures.

Stormwater and a prior failed channel were discussed at length. Olin said a previously eroded channel and forebay would be rebuilt and that the project obtained state alteration‑of‑terrain approval. He told the board the design stores stormwater under the turf in a stone matrix and routes overflow to bioretention and reconstructed forebays. Abutters said an earlier erosion problem on the site had not been fixed promptly and asked for documented maintenance requirements.

Public comment included technical questions and objections from Goffstown officials and neighbors. Tim Redmond, chair of the Goffstown Planning Board, told Bedford’s board Goffstown wants annual written stormwater monitoring and the ability to review acoustical and photometric testing. Peter Early, Saint Anselm’s track director, and student athletes urged the board to approve an on‑campus facility that officials said would reduce off‑campus travel for practices.

Action and next steps: after extended discussion the Bedford Planning Board voted to table final action and continue the hearing to June 2, 2025, to give staff time to review the applicant’s late PFAS submittal and for the parties to refine enforceable conditions on lighting, sound testing and long‑term stormwater monitoring. The board asked the applicant to provide more detailed lighting specifications, a testing schedule for turf/PFAS and a clarified enforcement path for any noise exceedances. The board also discussed but did not finalize intermunicipal sewer language that would allow the site to tie into Goffstown sewer in the near term and extend Bedford sewer in the future.

The project remains under active review; the applicant acknowledged remaining points of discussion and said it expects to return with revised materials and proposed contractual language that can be recorded to support long‑term monitoring and maintenance.