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Council approves Paige Park funding, several transfers and contracts; grants and labor agreement also cleared
Summary
Bristol’s joint City Council and Board of Finance approved $600,000 in appropriations plus $10.65 million in bonding for Paige Park, multiple operating and capital transfers, a $3.33M Page Park contract, AFSCME tentative‑agreement funding, and a $650,000 DEEP grant for a BOE multipurpose field.
Bristol’s City Council and Board of Finance on March 2026 approved a package of budget transfers, project appropriations and contract awards that officials said will fund parks, school athletic upgrades and routine municipal operations.
The council voted to appropriate $600,000 for Paige Park revitalization and separately authorized the issuance of bonds or notes totaling $10,650,000 to finance the project. The council passed both measures by roll call. The meeting also approved a related transfer of $368,295 within the capital projects fund to support Paige Park work.
In other financial actions, the council approved smaller transfers to cover near‑term needs: $12,495 within the controller’s office, $230,000 to cover snow‑removal costs in the public works operating budget (including $200,000 from general contingency), and $256,000 moved into an equipment/building sinking fund to allow the Board of Education to purchase Chromebooks this fiscal year.
Contract and grant approvals included awarding contract 2C26‑016 (Page Park Improvements Phase 2) to Yield Industries LLC for $3,333,000 and authorizing the mayor to execute the agreement. The council also approved funding for a tentative three‑year agreement with AFSCME Local 233 covering certain city personnel costs and passed a resolution authorizing Mayor Ellen Zapo Sassu to execute an amended DEEP urban grant contract for $650,000 to pay for Board of Education multipurpose field and site upgrades.
The council approved a $200,000 change order to Contract 2C24‑042 (North Main Street streetscape) to reconfigure the corridor and add approximately 19 angled parking spaces between the post office and police department complex, and reestablished Ronzo Road extension as a city street per ESPN’s request.
Most measures passed on voice votes or roll calls with no substantive debate; one member abstained on a Neighborhood Assistance Act extension for the Bristol Historical Society, which the council approved and forwarded to the Department of Revenue Services.
The actions move forward multiple capital projects and preserve contingency resources for operating needs; councilors said grant proceeds and bonding will be used for the named purposes.
