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College officials went to the town earlier this summer asking for approval for an athletic complex 20 percent larger than the original plan. The town asked for a traffic analysis to be done first, after complaints about traffic and parking issues from Hull Street residents.

At a meeting in July, Planning Board members Virginia Rogers and Gretchen Roorbachechoed concerns of the “constant stream of traffic” on Hull Street and the regular on street parking by guests of the fields.

The building will be located at the Brigham Athletic Complex, on land between Grapevine Road and Hull Street, which is now used by the college for field athletic events. Uses for the building include offices for coaches and boys and girls lockers, as well as a balance and mobility center and a daycare facility.

Although the town has approved the project in its entirety, the college is only permitted to begin work on phase one. This phase includes a one-story building, which will house a Center for Balance, Mobility and Wellness and the shell for the daycare, which will be mostly for school employees, but some spaces may be open to the public. Also included are 12 additional parking spaces to the 79-space parking lot now available.

Wenham Planning Board Chairman David Geikie said discussions are ongoing with the college about parking issues.

“We need to have more parking than is currently there,” said Geikie, adding that before the Planning Board approves a permit for phase two, which will be the completion of the daycare, the college needs to construct more parking spaces. “We are looking for 30 or more spaces.”

The approved 6500-square foot Center for Balance, Mobility, and Wellness will have both physical and occupational therapy rooms. The physical therapy room will have cardiac exercise machines and the occupational therapy room will have 13-foot ceilings to accommodate specialized equipment.

The 3000-square foot Child Care Center, also located on the first floor, will be build as a shell only in phase one, until more funding becomes available and a permit is received by the town to continue work.

According to Daniel Tymann, Gordon College executive vice president for Advancement, Communications and Technology, a traffic study and parking assessment was done by GEOD Consulting.

As funds become available for the rest of the project, college officials will have to return to the town for further permitting.

Geikie said the board has read the study and although there undoubtedly be an impact of traffic on Hull Street, however the street is not heavily used and the amount of traffic created by the complex “should be easily handled.”

There has also been concern by nearby residents of light and noise pollution caused by the athletic fields. Geikie said the board and the town has stepped in to advocate for those residents and is looking to come to an agreement with Gordon College about restrictions to the fields.

“We are working on that,” said Geikie. “Both sides have expressed a desire to accommodate the needs of the other side.”

He said some adjustments discussed are installing screening to shield the light and planting trees.

Tymann agreed, saying the college will come back to the town in May on whether there is a need for more parking and in addition, will work out a plan for high profile plantings and more landscaping to help beautify and block the facility from the abutters.

The college has hired the architectural firm Pro Con Incorporated to head the construction, which is set to begin next month.

“We want to get started right away,” said Tymann, adding that the college hopes to open the center next spring.

The center will be run by professional staff for the benefit of community use. Students of Gordon College will also work in the center.

Pro Con Incorporated has drafted the plans for the entire, approved 30,000-square foot multi-purpose building on the Gordon College campus. According to a press release from the architectural firm, the two-story, in addition to the balance and mobility center and the daycare, the plans for the building include room for the school’s athletic offices, several classrooms and a student lounge.

The daycare will eventually have two classrooms for toddlers and pre-schoolers, as well as a multi-purpose room for group activities and special functions. It is expected to serve 27 children, according to the release.

The first floor plans also include a concession stand and public restrooms for stadium athletic events, a training room and locker rooms for the home team, visiting team and referees. The second floor of the building will eventually house 16 athletic offices, additional team locker rooms, two classrooms and a student lounge.

According to the release, the building design also features a unique projecting main entrance with a two-story glass curtain wall. Also in the plans are decorative canopies over the windows and doorways. The exterior of the building will include brick masonry with cultured limestone and metal panels.

The design also includes high performance windows, additional insulation and high efficiency mechanical systems in an effort to meet the college’s high-energy efficiency standards.

The town has also been discussing with the college ways for the educational institution to help with the financial needs of the town for about a year.

Geikie said still no agreement has been made between the town and school, but there have been talks about starting a PILOT program, or payment-in-lieu-of-taxes. This program would allow the town to collect money from the college in the absence of taxes, which the school doesn’t currently pay because educational institutions are exempt from paying taxes to the town.

“The town is looking for arrangements for them to make payments in lieu of taxes to aid the town,” said Geikie. “We are still working on that.”