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Resident questions $950,000 Doric Avenue splash pad after Budlong Pool closure; council asks Public Works to review
Summary
During public comment at the April 28 Cranston City Council meeting, resident Robert Ferry said reporting that Budlong Pool will not open this summer and that a splash pad on Doric Avenue is proposed at an estimated cost near $950,000. The council directed Councilwoman Graziano to add the matter to the next Public Works meeting for review.
Robert Ferry, a Cranston resident, told the City Council on April 28 that he had read a local news report saying Budlong Pool would not open this summer and that the city was proposing a splash pad on Doric Avenue for about $950,000.
"There was gonna be a splash pad opened on Doric Avenue at a cost of nearly a million dollars," Ferry said during the public-comment period. He asked council members where the money would come from and said he had not seen public input about the splash pad. "I'm asking you to please look into this, put a stop to it if necessary," Ferry said.
Council President Marino thanked Ferry for his comments and asked Councilwoman Graziano, chair of Public Works, to place the splash-pad item on the next Public Works meeting agenda for review. Council members also noted that the correct procedure to address factual questions raised in public comment is to follow up through committee and request documentation; the solicitor advised against in-meeting corrections and recommended obtaining and presenting factual records in committee.
The nut graf: the council did not vote on the splash pad or on the pool’s status; instead it directed the Public Works committee to review the reported proposal and any funding sources and to report back.
Clarifying details provided at the meeting were limited: Ferry reported a figure of "950 something thousand dollars" and said he had not seen public outreach; the administration did not provide a budget source or a formal project description during the meeting. The council directed staff and Councilwoman Graziano to place the item on the next Public Works agenda so members may examine the cost estimate, funding source and any public-engagement timeline.
Ending: The council did not take any formal action on the pool or splash pad at the meeting; follow-up will occur in committee where staff can present documentary evidence and answer cost and funding questions.
