By: Jessica Arriens, Sentinel Staff
Published: Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Keene Sentinel
Hinsdale, NH

HINSDALE — It was smooth sailing for Wal-Mart Tuesday night, as members of the town’s planning board unanimously approved the company’s plans to build a new Supercenter.

Despite the approval, Wal-Mart still has to meet numerous conditions before actually breaking ground on the proposed Supercenter, off Route 119 next to Hinsdale Greyhound Park.

Among those conditions are limiting outside storage space, putting snow removal guidelines in place and paying $25,000 to Hinsdale for the services of an engineering firm.

The plans were revised after the planning board asked for a single change at its July 15 meeting: expand a fence by 100 feet along the east side of the proposed store, to keep out dirt bikes and ATVs.

Lucien M. DiStefano of Bohler Engineering, the Massachusetts-based firm working with Wal-Mart, presented the revision to the board.

DiStefano also answered questions raised by Hinsdale residents at the July 15 meeting about how often delivery trucks would be at the Wal-Mart and how much noise two compressor houses would make.

DiStefano said the proposed store would have eight to 12 delivery trucks a day, less than half of them large tractor-trailers.

The compressor houses, which are refrigeration units located outside the store, will be “no more intrusive than the normal sounds coming off (Route) 119,” he said.

The issue that generated the most discussion among board members at the meeting, which was attended by about 15 Hinsdale residents, dealt with Wal-Mart’s water use.

As a condition of Wal-Mart receiving a building permit and starting construction, the company must prove that its fire protection plan — which uses Hinsdale’s water supply — won’t strain the town’s resources.

Wal-Mart’s proposed fire protection plan uses an above-ground storage tank, filled with about 200,000 gallons of water. Underwood Engineering, a firm hired by the town to review the proposed store, wants assurance from Wal-Mart that once this system is connected to the town’s 8-inch water main underneath Route 119, residential users won’t suffer.

DiStefano told the board that, based on discussions he’s had with Wal-Mart engineers, Hinsdale’s water supply should have no problem handling both Wal-Mart’s fire protection plan and the store’s use.

"We should be making no upgrades to the existing system,” he said.

Now that the revised site plans have been approved, Wal-Mart can move forward toward obtaining state approval of its wastewater treatment facility and securing a bond to pay Hinsdale for landscaping services around the proposed site — both conditions required before building.

Other conditions the store has to meet before receiving a building permit include submitting a security plan to Hinsdale’s chief of police, and putting up a bond to pay for a third-party review of architecture plans and construction.

The planning board also placed a series of ongoing conditions on Wal-Mart, which include assuring motor homes or campers won’t park overnight at the store, and getting a variance from Hinsdale’s zoning board for the store’s signs.

The new Wal-Mart will be 170,842 square feet — nearly double that of the existing store at George’s Field near the Vermont border. The proposed store will include a grocery section and 24-hour shopping.