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Parks staff present 2026 operating and capital requests; batting-cage costs draw scrutiny
Summary
Parks staff reviewed the proposed 2026 operating and capital budgets, highlighted capital priorities tied to the master plan and noted staff and equipment requests; trustees and the PROS board raised concerns about the cost and viability of the town’s batting cages.
Parks and Recreation staff gave the PROS Advisory Board a detailed walkthrough of the department’s proposed 2026 operating and capital budgets and highlighted likely capital priorities the board could push into 2026 through budget amendments once the master plan is finalized.
Staff described operating-line reorganizations (for example, combining tree maintenance lines into a single ‘tree care’ line), recurring maintenance needs and small capital items such as soft-trail resurfacing. The presentation explained that revenues did not match all initially proposed expenditures and that the department trimmed roughly $1 million in proposed spending across town requests to balance the draft general fund budget before presenting to the Board of Trustees.
On capital needs, staff told the board Viewpoint playground repairs and replacement are a high-priority deferred-maintenance item, with cost estimates updated by staff and vendors at roughly $415,000–$425,000. Staff recommended using budget amendments after the master plan is public to fund defensible, community-prioritized capital projects rather than forcing large appropriations during the regular budget cycle.
The board spent considerable time on the town’s batting cages, which staff said generated 380 purchases in 2025 with an average purchase of $7.65 and about $3,900 in revenue for the year. Staff estimated roughly $130,000–$135,000 of deferred maintenance over the next five years and said annual operating subsidies are large relative to revenue; staff presented options including automation, shifting programming to temporary field clinics, or formal community engagement about the cages’ future. Board members said they were not ready to recommend removal and asked that the cages be part of a public conversation and considered alongside master-plan priorities.
Staff also discussed equipment requests (for example, a more versatile mower/utility vehicle), a parks technician position contingent on mid-year revenue, and continued emphasis on ADA access, trails and partnerships. The board and staff agreed that once the master plan is consolidated and yields actionable project recommendations, the department should pursue budget amendments for targeted capital work rather than waiting another full budget cycle.
