The Park Commission voted to submit an updated five‑year capital plan that places near‑term emphasis on playground pieces at Commissioner’s Field and phased field overhauls, while deferring larger ClearPond building projects pending outside funding.

The commission approved the plan at the meeting after the chair moved that the draft be submitted “as our capital plan for the next 5 years” and members voted unanimously to adopt it. The plan lists a $25,000 playground piece for Commissioner’s Field in fiscal 2027, a second $25,000 playground piece in 2028, phased baseball field overhauls (two fields, $25,000 in 2029; two fields, $25,000 in 2030) and a $70,000 line in 2031 for resurfacing basketball/volleyball courts at ClearPond Park.

Members and staff discussed larger ClearPond concepts in the engineering study — including a combined bathhouse/snack shack/community space with program capacity — which the engineering estimate put at about $600,000. Commissioners said that size of project would require town funding, grants or free cash and is not feasible to fund directly from the commission’s retained earnings.

Commissioners and staff prioritized smaller, fundable items for the capital plan and flagged areas where grant applications should be pursued. They also discussed maintenance needs that fall below the capital threshold (repairs under about $10,000) and told staff those should be handled from operating budgets or end‑of‑year funds where possible.

Commissioners stressed the tension between investing in seasonal facilities and generating revenue: ClearPond operates a short season and has posted operating losses in the most recent season; members said that without investment its condition will continue to deteriorate but the commission has limited ability to fund large capital projects.

The adopted five‑year schedule (as presented at the meeting) was: 2027 — playground piece at Commissioner’s Field ($25,000); 2028 — second playground piece at Commissioner’s Field ($25,000); 2029 — baseball field overhaul (2 fields, $25,000); 2030 — overhaul 2 additional fields at Ted Williams Camp ($25,000); 2031 — ClearPond basketball/volleyball court resurfacing ($70,000). The commission voted to submit that package to the committee that allocates retained earnings for capital projects.

Commissioners said further refinement will come as engineering reports (John Pond and ClearPond studies) are completed and as grant opportunities are pursued. Staff committed to bringing more detailed cost breakdowns and options to a future meeting so the commission can identify which items to seek grants for versus fund from retained earnings.