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Acushnet commission approves St. Francis School turf field with silt‑fence inspection condition
Summary
The Acushnet Conservation Commission approved a plan to convert a 170-by-65-foot grass athletic field at St. Francis School to artificial turf, requiring silt‑fence installation and an inspection process before work can begin; the school pledged to remove debris from a nearby wetland.
The Acushnet Conservation Commission voted to accept an Order of Conditions allowing St. Francis School to replace a grass athletic field with a 170-by-65-foot artificial turf surface and associated drainage work within the 100-foot buffer to a bordering vegetated wetland.
The project was presented to the commission by Bob Field, who said he was standing in for the applicant's engineer and was representing St. Francis School. Field described the proposal as a conversion from grass to turf with sand-based fill and proposed siltation controls and an outfall stone detail. He also acknowledged prior disposal of grass clippings and trash in the wetland and said the school would remove that material.
"I'm representing St. Francis School. ... we're here tonight seeking your approval for a conversion of an existing grass athletic field," Field said. He described siltation controls and added a procedural commitment: "once the silt fence goes in, you have 5 days to get a hold of us before any work can start and we go look at it. The easiest way to do it is a 10-day appeal period ... you get the silt fence in within those 10 days, we go look at it, then you can start work on the 11th day." The commission adopted that approach as an additional procedural step.
Members of the school community spoke in favor. Michael Bockstahler, a St. Francis School board member, said the project is a major fundraising effort intended to provide a safer play area and pledged cleanup support: "I'll personally get out there and I'll take a look at that and make sure we get that all cleaned up immediately." The applicant also offered to coordinate disposal logistics and use town facilities for yard waste when appropriate.
Commissioners emphasized erosion controls and cleanup of noncompostable debris observed in the wetland; they asked staff to verify silt‑fence placement before construction begins and to ensure the applicant follows the accepted erosion‑control and monitoring commitments. Members voted in favor of accepting the Order of Conditions by voice vote.
The approval permits conversion with the agreed inspection step and standard conditions; work is subject to the commission's final on-site verification of required controls before ground disturbance begins.
