BURRILLVILLE – While locals await a ruling in Rhode Island Superior Court regarding a temporary restraining order on the installation of a synthetic turf field at Burrillville High School, Town Manager Michael Wood says he has taken action to remove one potential delay by submitting an application for major land development for the project, now slated to go before the Burrillville Planning Board.
Preliminary plans for the field at the East Avenue school, submitted jointly by the town and the Burrillville School Department, are slated for review and public hearing at the Planning Board meeting scheduled for Monday, April 7.
The move addresses one element of a lawsuit filed against the town by resident Roberta Lacey last fall. Objecting to the planned installation of a synthetic playing surface opponents say contains PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, Lacey has charged that the town did not follow proper processes in approval of the project.
“Although we believe we are solid ground with our legal position(s) in the court case, by doing this, it should take one of the potential costly delays off the table,” Wood noted in announcing submission of the application this week.
The project was underway and the town under contract with FieldTurf for installation of the surface when Lacey and others first raised concerns last May. In meetings last year, town officials presented findings from studies showing only trace amounts of the chemicals and contended the field would present no danger to human health.
Construction, including installation of an ADA-accessible viewing plaza, a six-foot-wide walking path and a 1,000-seat grandstand came to a halt when a judge granted restraining order on request from Lacey’s attorney last October.
Now, the entire project will go before planners, with a detailed 19-page document laid out by Joe Casali Engineering outlining many elements that are already complete.
Town Planner Raymond Goff said he expects the board to vote on the application at the April 7 meeting, tentatively scheduled to be held at Jesse Smith Library. Goff told NRI NOW on Wednesday that the meeting may be moved to the Burrillville High School auditorium.
“It is likely, as it has with most projects, that the final plan approval would be handled administratively,” said Goff of the application.
The planner added that if there are any major changes during review, the project could go back before the board for final approval.
Opponents of the project have created a page dedicated to ongoing news about the effort.
Noting that the 2025 construction season is now here with no decision in the case, Wood said the move will help protect the interests of the town and mitigate financial impacts. In a release on Monday, he said opponents of the project have caused the town “tremendous financial hardship” with $250,000 spent on the litigation to date.
“The project needs to move forward in order to avoid additional financial damages that could be in the tens of thousands of dollars, maybe more,” he said.
A town run page dedicated to information about the project can be found here.
