The ZBA is expected to make a final decision on the proposed disc golf course at Roby Park on June 25. Courtesy photo

NASHUA – Having been a point of contention for more than two years, the fate of the proposed disc golf course at Roby Park is expected to be determined by the Zoning Board of Adjustment on June 25.

Christina McKinley of Southgate Drive owns 23 acres that abut Roby Park. Should the course be approved, eight of the 18 holes would be located on her property line.

McKinley said the project began two-and-a-half years ago when the Department of Public Works yanked 75 trees out of the ground without pulling any permits or providing prior notice to abutters.

“All of the sudden, this huge swath of land was barren,” she said. “They did this all wrong, I would think a few heads would’ve rolled.”

McKinley maintained that Mayor James Donchess allowed this as he is a chief proponent of bringing a disc golf course to Nashua.

“This is a Mayor Donchess pet project,” she said, adding that building the course is reminiscent of the controversy that surrounded the Performing Arts Center.

In addition, McKinley called attention to the potential for legal action if someone was hit by a disc, which can reach speeds of up to 80 miles per hour.

“I don’t want my taxes to go up to pay for the injuries,” she said.

McKinley also said the potential environmental impacts have not been taken into account.

“Advocates suggest that though impacts exist, they should be set aside because access to another sport space is for the greater good,” she said. “That attitude may be valid if the only greater good consideration is an additional Nashua marketing piece. It also ignores that tax dollars already overwhelmingly support organized, team sport space over quiet spaces for individual use.”

McKinley recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Roby Park was one of the few places where groups of residents could still gather.

“During those years, I personally witnessed a considerable increase in the number of people wandering from Roby Park trails onto my trails looking for quiet, solace and contemplative opportunities,” she said. “The forest provides endless opportunities to create places of interest and surprise that encourage visitors to relax into the space and explore nature’s wonders. Those who love being in nature frequently equate the experience of being in a forest with being in an outdoor cathedral.”

However, the introduction of a disc golf course could disrupt the park’s tranquility.

“Sports are inherently noisy because human beings’ natural reaction to competition very often is highly emotional,” said McKinley. “The majesty of nature is not a perfect backdrop for the cheers or tears of victory or defeat.”

She has also taken issue with disc golf advocates who admit they have limited knowledge of the sport yet remain confident that it will be good for Nashua.

“If we are going to destroy the current ambiance and value of the forested area of Roby Park we owe it to residents to know a lot about disc golf,” said McKinley.

Sky Meadow resident Ioana Urma said the project has been “bathed in secrecy from the start.”

She said there has been little transparency regarding the project’s site plans.

“There is nothing on emergency access, nothing on accessible access for inclusive design nor anything on stormwater management, drainage and erosion,” said Urma. “Erosion is already a problem in the areas where trees and brush have been removed, as evidenced by the large ugly silt socks strewn across the site. Aside from being unsightly, it is not clear that this system will suffice when more trees and brush are removed.”

Having been an architect for the past 26 years, Urma said the project seems “very undeveloped.”

“It looks like it is in the preliminary schematic phase and not something that is ready to be built,” she said. “The proposed site plan is basically a diagram for how the game will be played, overlapping a diagram of the wetland buffer zone. Information has been excluded either at will, due to negligence or due to inability, allowing the proposal to use secrecy.”

In June 2023, amaetur disc golfer Richard Smart went before the Conservation Commission saying, at the time, that disc golf was surpassing pickleball as the most popular sport in the country.

“This growth is not going to go away,” he said during the meeting. “We use areas like Roby Park and turn them into havens for outdoor escape. It’s safe, fun, it’s healthy and gets people out of the house.”

Smart also said disc golf courses are smaller than traditional golf courses. The width of a disc golf fairway is approximately 40 feet while the width of a golf fairway is approximately 195 feet.

Brendan Quigley, senior wetland scientist for Gove Environmental Services, Inc., told the commissioners that six bridges would be installed for players to cross through the wetlands to retrieve errant discs.

“There’s no large-scale disturbance associated with this work,” he said.

Karen Bill of Parnell Place said players learn very early on to have the utmost respect for the course.

“There’s no boombox-carrying disc golfers out there,” she said. “They treat the wetlands like the holy grail.”

The project was rejected by the Conservation Commission in December 2023 thus compelling project proponents to put it before the ZBA.