This story by Jason Starr was first published in the Williston Observer on Nov. 6, 2025.
Night games. Outdoor assemblies. Alumni events — members of the Champlain Valley Union High School community are thrilled at the possibility of adding an artificial turf field to the high school grounds in Hinesburg.
But a group of residents tasked with protecting the town’s natural resources is coalescing in opposition to the project.
In August, Charlotte parent Eli Lesser-Goldsmith approached the Champlain Valley School Board with an idea to privately fund a replacement of the school’s natural grass soccer-lacrosse field with synthetic turf, new bleachers and lights. Lesser-Goldsmith, CEO of Healthy Living market, is leading a fundraising group that intends to secure donations to cover the estimated $5.5 million installation cost.
Residents of the school district voted down a bond proposal to build a turf field at the high school about a decade ago. An Oct. 30 news release distributed by Lesser-Goldsmith says his plan revives “a long-held vision without burdening taxpayers.”
But it’s not the cost that Hinesburg environmentalists are wary of. It’s the material that the turf is made from and its potential impact on natural resources, particularly the watershed.
To PFAS, or too PFAS
During an Oct. 14 meeting of the Hinesburg Conservation Commission, members cast doubt on artificial turf manufacturers’ claims about the presence of what are known as “forever chemicals” — perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — in their product. They expressed concern about the synthetic grass and underlying rubber pellets degrading over time and affecting groundwater, from which town residents and schools, including Champlain Valley Union, get drinking water.
A week after the meeting, commission members Meg Handler and Bill Scott sent a letter to the school board asking it to abandon the project.
“It is widely known and well documented that artificial turf contains PFAS, as well as microplastics and numerous other chemicals that are hazardous to human health and the environment,” they wrote. “The installation of artificial turf in Hinesburg is … a very serious health and environmental issue that should worry members of the CVU community and all town residents.”
Lesser-Goldsmith said his group plans to use the same product — from the FieldTurf company based in Montreal — that has been installed in multiple municipalities throughout Vermont in recent years, including Burlington, Rutland, Middlebury and South Burlington.
“We are not reinventing the wheel,” he said. “The same product is going in at CVU that has been put in across the state. It meets the letter of the law for the State of Vermont.”
FieldTurf released a report in November 2022 addressing the question of PFAS in its turf. The detection of very low levels of a limited number of PFAS in the synthetic turf components does not represent a human health risk to those using the synthetic turf ballfields,” the report summary reads.
“We believe wholeheartedly in the safety of our products,” FieldTurf Executive Vice President Darren Gill added.
The FieldTurf report doesn’t address potential environmental and broader human health impacts, which is the main concern of Hinesburg environmentalists.
“Plastic fields are a particularly harmful plan in a town like Hinesburg that relies on well water,” said Jennifer Decker, a self-described “clean water activist” who sits on the Hinesburg Planning Commission. “The toll of microplastics, PFAS, and carcinogens in the (turf) may not be seen for years, but will be very costly to the town schools, and will increase healthcare expenses over time.”
In the three years since FieldTurf’s PFAS tests, the State of Vermont passed Act 131, a law banning the manufacture or sale of artificial turf known to contain PFAS. The law goes into effect this January. Decker believes any future installation of FieldTurf at CVU would violate the law.
Lesser-Goldsmith said he’s not yet sure if the project will require a permit from the Town of Hinesburg. He said a state stormwater permit will be required. Decker said that, while the change of field surface would not necessitate a town permit application, the addition of lighting above the field may require approval from the town’s Development Review Board.
“We’re just starting our (engineering) drawings and the permitting process now,” Lesser-Goldsmith said.
Weighing the benefits
The impetus for going from grass to turf is to increase practice and game opportunities for CVU athletes. Outdoor sports teams are affected by cancellations caused by saturated fields during rainy stretches of weather.
“When it rains, we can’t use our field, so getting turf would provide consistency and be a great way to improve the experience for players and the community that supports us,” CVU sophomore soccer player Elliana Antonucchi said in the Oct. 30 news release. “Plus, we want to have night games with all our fans cheering and having fun.”
School district leaders envision uses beyond athletics, noting that the field would be the only outdoor space large enough to host the entire student body.
“Having one space where everyone can connect will be immensely impactful in terms of engagement and opportunity,” CVSD Superintendent Adam Bunting said in the release. “I see this as more than just a field as it will benefit so many more people than our student-athletes. It’ll be a point of pride and connection for our whole community.”
Correction: A previous headline for this story misstated the level of PFAS in the turf fields.
