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Resident asks city to clarify status of Budlong Pool project and $4.75 million grant
Summary
During public comment at the Aug. 25 Cranston City Council meeting, resident Robert Ferry urged the council to explain whether the city will lose a federal OPERA grant tied to the Budlong Pool project and asked what pressure the administration is applying to meet the implied deadline.
Robert Ferry, a Cranston resident who said he previously served on the council, urged the council on Aug. 25 to provide clarity on the Budlong Pool project and a federal grant he said was awarded to the mayor nearly three years ago.
"Will we lose the OPERA money in the federal grant? The mayor was given $4,750,000 almost 3 years ago to build a pool," Ferry said during the meeting’s public comment period. He said the pool project was not on the council’s agenda and asked what pressure, if any, the administration is applying to complete the work before a possible deadline.
Why it matters: Ferry framed the issue as a potential risk to a sizable grant and to children in Cranston who lack access to a municipal swimming pool as summer ends. If a time-sensitive federal grant condition exists, failing to meet it could require the city to forfeit funds or seek an extension; the council did not provide a substantive answer during the meeting.
Details from the comment - Ferry said the grant amount in question was $4,750,000 and that it had been allocated to the mayor's office nearly three years prior to the Aug. 25 meeting. - He asked whether the city would lose the OPERA money if a pool is not completed by the end of the year and requested the council "find out what the story is with finishing the pool and what's gonna happen to the money." - Ferry also asked whether the administration had been pressured to finish the project and said he is "very disappointed" that the pool was not on the council agenda.
Council response at the meeting: The matter was raised during public comment; council members did not provide a definitive answer at the Aug. 25 meeting and the transcript records no staff report answering Ferry’s specific questions. Ferry asked the council to "please find out what the story is" and the item remains open for follow-up by staff or council members.
Ending: Ferry requested that the council determine the status of the grant and the project timeline; the council did not resolve those questions at the meeting and indicated follow-up through staff would be necessary.
