Weston parks committee presses for urgency on Kennedy Park fundraising, strategic plan

Weston parks committee members escalated concerns June 6 about the pace and financing of the long-planned Kennedy Park renovation, saying they have spent 18 months on the project but raised only modest private funds while the village moves forward with initial construction contracts.

Committee chair Jamie Wyland said the village board has approved a contract with PGA (contractor) for two fields — described in committee materials as just over $2,200,000 — and that a pre-construction meeting is scheduled. Wyland also said the village had authorized use of capital funds, including ARPA dollars and CIP borrowing, to cover portions of infrastructure that the committee had previously described as difficult to fundraise for (parking, restrooms, stormwater).

The committee’s nut graf: members said they still lack a clear, actionable strategic plan, a public-facing fundraising “ask” and steady outreach cadence; they warned that without those pieces the project risks stalling after the two fields funded to date are completed.

“Every day we don't ask for money is a day we don't get money,” said committee member Daniel (last name not stated), who described the pace as “a lack of urgency.” Daniel, a member of the parks committee, said the consultant-produced strategic-plan draft lacked concrete targets, timelines and coordinated stakeholder meetings. “This is a 300 year project at this point,” he said. “We’re 18…