The Town of Southborough Recreation Commission voted informally to stop permitting the Lundblad field immediately and to remove it from the department’s roster of available spaces, saying the town lacks paperwork authorizing recreational use of the capped landfill.

Commissioners said they cannot locate the Certificate of Completion (CQA) and the post‑closure permit or permit application with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that would document the landfill’s conversion to a field. Without those documents, staff recommended the department cease permitting and collecting fees for organized use.

Commission Chair (identified in the meeting by his first name) said the commission has “researched it to death” and proposed drafting one concise document listing what the commission has tried, what was found, and the current status. The chair said that because reestablishing the required documentation would be costly and legally complex, it should be elevated to the Select Board for a policy decision rather than handled solely by Recreation.

Commission members expressed concern about liability and the limits of the recreation department’s authority. One commissioner said, “from a liability perspective, I’d be concerned if anything were to happen,” and another warned that testing the cap could require puncturing the liner and trigger further environmental work under modern standards.

Staff reported that the middle school uses the field for overflow practices and that annual testing has been performed, but commissioners recommended removing Lundblad from the list of permitted fields regardless of informal, occasional use.

The commission agreed to draft the summary document, circulate it to commissioners for review and then forward it to the Select Board and relevant town departments (including DPW and the town’s DEP contact) to determine next steps. Commissioners said they would not charge users or issue new permits for Lundblad going forward, but routine town mowing and basic upkeep would continue.

The commission did not take a formal binding vote on decommissioning; the body agreed to prepare the record and seek direction from the Select Board and other town authorities.

Commissioners also noted the impact of the pending Neary school discussions on decisions for Lundblad, saying any future use or large investments at the site should consider broader town planning outcomes.

The Recreation Department will prepare the documentation, circulate it to the commission, and seek a formal vote at a future meeting to transmit the report to the Select Board.

The department said existing field nets and minimal fixtures may remain in place for occasional informal use but emphasized the site will not be permitted as a regular recreation field until the town provides the required closure/permitting documentation.