Lebanon — The Zoning Board is asking for a third-party review of possible traffic problems around the James W. Campion III Rink after one official called a past study into question.

Because a proposed expansion of the rink off Route 10 near the Hanover town line is once again before the Lebanon board, member Al Patterson said earlier this week he wants a more in-depth review of traffic, focusing on whether a study commissioned by the rink as part of its application is accurate.

“I’m not OK with the information that we have today. I don’t think (the study is) relevant to that specific environment,” Patterson, a retired Hanover police officer, said in an audio recording of the Zoning Board’s meeting on Monday. “I know from my years in law enforcement that (the study) is not accurate. I know that.”

The Campion Rink in May received approval from the board to expand its complex, construct a second rink and open year-round. Rink officials came back to the board soon after and asked it to reconsider set operating hours, setting in motion the current rehearing process.

While rink officials hope the board will adjust the hours, Patterson said members also should focus on how traffic could be impacted by expansion. He questioned a traffic study presented to the board in April and May, specifically taking aim at its assessment of sight distance around the rink.

“If somebody was traveling the speed limit, and if somebody was paying attention and they were on their A-game, then they could stop within 136 feet at 35 mph,” Patterson said in the audio recording.

But people don’t drive the speed limit on that stretch of Route 10, he said, and a combination of young, inexperienced drivers and shrubs obstructing views could lead to more collisions.

Performed by White River Junction-based firm Resource Systems Group, the study offers a different view of traffic in the area.

Current design requirements call for a sight distance of 250 feet for drivers traveling southbound and northbound on Route 10, according to the report. Measurements show 500 feet of sight distance exists.

For cars leaving the rink, drivers need to see 335 feet to the north and south, and RSG consultants once again measured more than 500 feet of sight distance for the intersection.

Speaking to the board in May, RSG engineer Erica Wygonik said projected traffic counts aren’t expected to cause delays, and aren’t significant enough to trigger a larger traffic survey. She also counted three accidents in the area between 2004 and 2014, and said statistics don’t indicate crashes will increase.

The study found traffic would increase by 66 vehicles per hour at peak weeknight times, and by 89 cars per hour during peak time on weekend hours if the rink were expanded.

Patterson still worried the RSG report wasn’t large enough to adequately capture the road conditions and traffic patterns on Route 10.

“… That was just your typical blanket traffic study,” Patterson said. “It wasn’t done for heavier traffic flow in that area. It was done assuming everything’s operating and in perfect condition, which is not the case.”

Lebanon Zoning Administrator Tim Corwin cautioned about focusing too heavily on traffic, however. While the Zoning Board has the authority to discuss traffic in its decisions, he said, the Planning Board also is expected to take on traffic and parking in its review of the project.

“I guess it would be more of a concern if this was the last stop, if they weren’t going onto the Planning Board,” Corwin said at Monday’s meeting.

Zoning Board member Dan Nash agreed, saying the study was performed using the same standards as other projects. He said the state Department of Transportation also will need to approve a driveway permit for the project, adding another layer of oversight.

“The DOT has maintained an arms-length relationship with developers, and if something’s required, they require it. There’s no funny business,” he said in the audio recording.

Ultimately, the board decided to commission a third-party review of the sight distance in the traffic report.

The review will be paid for by the rink and will be performed by a contractor chosen by the city. Results are expected to be announced on Nov. 7 as part of the board’s next meeting on the rink.

Tim Camarato can be reached at tcamarato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.