Planning Board Approves Synthetic Playing Field for St. Paul’s School

An expansive former corn field at the intersection of Dunbarton and Silk Farm roads on the St. Paul’s School campus will soon become a synthetic playing field for field hockey and lacrosse players.

The Planning Board approved the field proposal on June 22. The plan included waivers on required parking spaces, wetlands buffers, and architectural design requirements.

Assistant City Planner Steve Henninger said the revised plans submitted by the school alleviated a lot of concerns both planners and the Conservation Commission had about the original proposal. St. Paul’s reduced the field size from two full-size fields to 1.5, which will include a full field and a small area for practicing. The plan includes reduced lighting, bleachers, 42 parking spaces, and a large rotary for pick-ups and drop-offs.

One concern raised in the previous board meeting on June 15 was about safety issues related to synthetic fields. Henninger stated that he had looked at studies done in different states. In one California study, air quality and hazards to players were studied; later studies, performed in Connecticut and New York, focused on any potential groundwater impacts from the recycled rubber compound in the synthetic fiber.

“It actually does smell like car tires,” he said.

Henninger said the dangers of synthetic fields were very similar to conventional fields. He said in sampling from fields put together with 100 percent truck tires, there was a potential for zinc to leak into groundwater. Richard Webb of CHA Sports provided a sample of the field which Planning Board members physically examined.

On the parking issue, because of the bleachers, nearly 150 spaces were required under zoning. The proposal only included space for 42. However, the school was planning on putting any extra parking that might be needed in a western part of the field that is already used for runoff parking in the past.

“This is probably more than adequate for almost every event,” he said. “Forty-two spaces is quite a few, for a field."

The redesign – which lengthened the field instead of widening it – will also not alter any wetlands in the area, he said.

In an interview before the recessed hearing, Henninger said the field would be anywhere from 2,000 to 2,500 feet from a direct water source, the Turkey Pond water basin. He said Turkey Pond is a public water source but the city had not used it for drinking water since the late 1960s or early 1970s, when there was a severe drought. At the time, water was pumped by line from Turkey Pond up to Penacook Lake. The state of New Hampshire also considers Turkey Pond a public water source, he said.

Planning Board member Carol Foss, who asked questions about the synthetic field during the June 15 meeting, asked about the length of life of the field. Webb said it would depend on usage but estimated that the field would last between 10 and 12 years.

Board member Chiara Dolcino asked if there were plans to allow other organizations to use the fields. An audience member who was not identified said no plans were solidified at this time.

During discussions about the plans conditions, Dolcino expressed concern about parking issues and whether or not more spaces would be needed if groups outside of St. Paul’s utilized the field.

Gerad Drypolcher, the chairman of the Planning Board, said the grassy area not far from the field would be sufficient enough for any extra parking needs.

“I guess I can’t really see the parking increasing unless you put the Fisher Cats there,” he joked.

Dolcino also raised concerns about child safety during drop-offs at the field. Henninger said the rotary near the field was designed specifically for drop-offs. He called the rotary “large.”

The Planning Board approved the project unanimously by voice vote.

The school hopes to have the field built in time for the fall sports season.