Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Rec topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select board declares donated child-size picnic table surplus after heated Parks & Rec dispute; donors opt to take it back
Summary
After a contentious exchange between donors and the Parks and Recreation Committee, the select board voted to either place a donated child-size picnic table at the common playground or allow the donors to take it home; the donors opted to take it and the board then declared the table surplus town property.
The Board of Selectmen on Dec. 16 took up a letter from the Parks and Recreation Committee requesting that a donated child-size picnic table be moved from Little Park to the children’s play area at the common. The committee said the table’s prior installation created a safety hazard and limited access to a handicap-accessible table.
Brandon Avery, chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee, wrote that the committee recommended relocating the table to a more appropriate location and suggested affixing a small plaque to recognize the donor. "It is the wish of the Parks and Recreation Committee to address what we consider an unnecessary and outsized point of contention over a child sized picnic table," the letter read.
Donors and residents pushed back, saying the table had been donated specifically to Little Park and should remain there. The discussion included personal remarks about stewardship, the committee’s authority over town property and disagreements about how the table was secured. John (donor) and Mindy said they had bought the handicap-accessible table for use at Little Park and that they would prefer it remain there; they also offered to add a plaque and to secure the table differently if needed.
Town staff explained the procedure for returning donated town property: an item that is town property must first be declared surplus before it can be returned to a donor. "Since it is town property ... it actually has to be declared a surplus," a staff speaker said during the meeting.
Faced with competing preferences, the board voted on a motion that allowed either moving the table to the common (with a plaque) or letting the donors take it home. The donors opted to take the table, and the board then moved and voted to declare the table surplus property. The board said that, if the table were placed on the common, a plaque would be affixed recognizing the donation.
Board members urged future policy clarity on donated items and suggested developing a written town procedure so similar disputes can be resolved without heated public disagreement.
