Planning board approves artificial turf, lights and track upgrades at The Academy with conditions on lighting use and follow‑up on parking

The Town of Braintree Planning Board approved a site‑plan and grading permit on April 14 for a major athletic‑field renovation at The Academy, 745 Washington Street, that will replace the existing grass football field with artificial turf, replace the track, install new bleachers and a press box and add LED hooded lighting. Approval came after extensive public comment about night lighting, stormwater, construction impacts and game‑day parking.

Attorney Frank Marinelli presented the trustees’ application and introduced a project team that included Head of School Chris Fortunado, site engineer Garrett Horsefall (Kelly Engineering), the FieldTurf construction manager and a Musco Lighting representative. Marinelli said the school’s campus (about 23.7 acres) includes the southwest field area proposed for replacement and that construction would commence after the school year ends and finish before the next academic year.

Head of School Chris Fortunado said the replacement is driven by safety and multi‑sport functionality: the existing grass and track are approaching the end of useful life and the proposed turf would allow the field to support football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey with less weather‑related wear. Fortunado said the school uses portable rental lights now for occasional Friday night events and wants modern LED, hooded fixtures that are more directional and quieter.

Site engineer Garrett Horsefall summarized stormwater measures: the plan includes grading, underdrains, channel drains and a subsurface chamber recharge system intended to control both peak flow and runoff volume versus existing conditions. Horsefall said submitted drainage calculations demonstrate no adverse off‑site impacts and that the team will coordinate required DPW stormwater permits and long‑term maintenance. FieldTurf representatives described construction sequencing, typical hours (7 a.m.–5 p.m. weekday work with some weekend activity by specialty trades), and a 3–4 month build period.

Residents questioned the frequency of evening light use and the potential for expanded rentals. Neighbors also raised concerns about parking spillover on Tremont Street and stormwater on adjacent streets. The school said the intent is not to run lights nightly and described historical practice of two to three “Friday night lights” events per season, with the option to use lights for a small number of additional games; it committed to hiring police details for large events and to coordinate with town officials on parking and access. FieldTurf and the lighting vendor emphasized modern LED aiming and hooding to reduce off‑site light spillage; FieldTurf staff also said its current manufacturing process does not add PFAS to infill and cited testing showing low or non‑detect levels in many samples.

In discussion the board proposed and agreed to conditions including: limit practice‑time lighting before daylight‑savings change to no later than 6:00 p.m.; cap game end times at 10:00 p.m.; restrict use of the new lighting to Academy events unless the board approves a different arrangement; require an end‑of‑fall‑season report to the planning board no later than Dec. 31 documenting light performance, complaints and traffic/parking outcomes; and require a more robust traffic/parking enforcement plan in coordination with Braintree Police. Member Kent moved to approve the site plan and grading permit with those conditions; Member Kaine seconded and the board voted to approve.

The planning office will incorporate the conditions into the written decision and will require the school to submit an operation and maintenance plan for stormwater practices and a construction management plan before permits are issued. The school will also be expected to demonstrate pre‑construction and post‑construction cleaning/inspections of existing campus drainage lines as part of the sewer/stormwater coordination.