Burrillville committee members, residents spar over artificial turf project after planning board denial

The Burrillville School Committee read a letter to the Planning Board and heard extended public comment on June 10 after the Planning Board denied the town's application for an artificial-turf athletic complex at Burrillville High School.

Committee Chair Roberta Lacey read a letter addressed to the Planning Board asking for an explanation of the rationale behind its denial and saying the decision would further delay a project the committee says already has been delayed by legal proceedings. Lacey said several school committee members signed the letter and that outside reports posted to the town website concluded the proposed artificial turf "does not present any danger." The letter was filed with the Planning Board on 05/09/2025, Lacey said.

The nut of the debate centered on whether the Planning Board followed its legal duties and whether the town followed required procedures before beginning work. Resident Pia Mueller told the committee the Planning Board "simply followed the law," saying Judge Darigan had affirmed the Planning Board's jurisdiction and that the board had rejected the town's application after finding deficiencies, "lack of environmental safeguards, and improper sequence of work that had already begun." Mueller said the Planning Board was obligated to assess applications under town ordinances rather than public pressure.

Committee member Sylvia (surname not specified in the record) described why her position on the project changed, citing levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) discussed during hearings and tests. She said PFAS concentrations discussed for the turf were in parts per trillion and described existing local water wells as already containing PFAS. Sylvia said the presence of PFAS in existing wells meant the incremental PFAS figures offered by project proponents were small relative to what the committee was already seeing in local drinking water.

Roberta Lacey and several residents also focused on process issues. Lacey and other speakers asserted the town had begun site work, including drilling for stadium lighting, before completing the required development-plan review and before full public review. Lacey said the town solicitor advised on July 31 that the aquifer ordinance (referred to in the record as "32 0 2") did not apply because "little to no gravel soil has been or will be removed," a determination she said was inconsistent with site plans and on‑the‑ground observations. She said site work included drilling into bedrock for lighting and estimated 28 cubic yards of material removal appeared on the posted site plan.

Multiple speakers urged the committee to seek accountability from the town council and town solicitor for the sequence of events. Resident Roberta Lacey warned that adding plastic turf and crumb rubber to a contaminated area could effectively create another landfill, saying "we threw plastics, we threw tires" into past dumps and asked whether the turf project would repeat that pattern.

No formal vote on the turf project occurred at the meeting. The school committee reading the letter and making it part of the record was the only formal action recorded in the transcript. The Planning Board denial, Judge Darigan's prior decision, the town solicitor's written opinion, and the posted outside expert reports were repeatedly referenced during public comment.

The meeting made clear the dispute remains unresolved: the Planning Board denied the application; supporters say the town has expert reports finding no danger; opponents say the town did not follow required procedures and that PFAS and site disturbances raise environmental concerns. The committee did not take a formal vote to change its earlier positions; rather, the letter was read into the record and residents urged the committee to press the town council and solicitor for clearer compliance with ordinances moving forward.

The committee did not set a next action on record at the meeting beyond having the letter available for the Planning Board and hearing public comment.