The Town of North Brookfield Board of Selectmen voted Dec. 30 to remove the small corner site known locally as the “Little Park” from the Parks and Recreation Committee’s purview and establish a North Brookfield Memorial Park Committee to oversee stewardship and funding.

Selectman Gilman, who read a prepared statement calling for reconciliation, laid out six steps the board should take to resolve a dispute over a donated picnic table and broader stewardship. “I believe that most folks can agree that there has been too much division in our little town,” Gilman said, and proposed returning oversight to the Selectmen, adopting a policy requiring Board approval for park additions, asking donor John Tripp whether he wants the table returned with a plaque, and forming a small oversight committee.

The board voted unanimously to transfer responsibility from Parks and Recreation and to require Board approval for any future work or additions to the Little Park. After a motion to ask Mr. Tripp whether he would like the table returned, Tripp and his partner said they would bring the table back and had ordered two matching plaques so the pieces would match the existing memorial elements. “Mindy and I would love to return the picnic table to the memorial park with the plaque affixed to it,” Tripp said.

The Selectmen also approved a motion to accept Tripp’s donation of the table and to file the list of donors and families in the Selectmen’s office; Tripp offered to re-submit existing donor documentation to the town administrative assistant for proper records. The board moved to form a committee of three to five official members—the North Brookfield Memorial Park Committee—and appointed John Tripp as the first volunteer member. The committee was charged with defining stewardship practices, advising on a budget or gift account for upkeep, and recommending an official park name.

A resignation letter from Parks and Recreation chair Brandon Pager was read aloud during the meeting. The letter said repeated criticism and the emotional toll of public disputes had prompted his decision to resign effective Jan. 1. After discussion, the Selectmen voted to table formal acceptance of the resignation until the next meeting to give Pager time to reconsider.

The board directed the new committee to return with recommendations about whether the Little Park should be formally designated a memorial park, how donations should be handled (gift account versus general fund), and a plan for maintenance funding and theft deterrence measures. The committee will also consider whether a dedicated line in a future budget is warranted for ongoing upkeep.

The meeting record shows the board sought to strike a balance between protecting memorial elements and easing the burden on volunteer stewards, while attempting to preserve community involvement in park activities.