Committee approves reimbursement to village for playground slide damaged by fallen tree

The Warren County Joint Park and Open Space Committee on March 25 approved a miscellaneous resolution to reimburse a village for the purchase of a replacement playground slide that had been damaged when a tree fell, a staff member told the committee.

Committee members moved the resolution during the meeting and voted by voice. Supervisor Bruno moved the measure; Supervisor Niles seconded. The chair called for the vote and stated the motion carried.

A staff member told the committee that the slide at Happy's Playground was damaged several years ago when a tree struck it and that the village had struggled for about two-and-a-half years to get a replacement from the original installer. "It's a miscellaneous resolution and it's a rationale as a reimbursement for the village for the slide that was damaged," the staff member said. The presenter added that there was no insurance claim and that the expense would be covered from deferred revenue collected from village events.

Committee members asked how the village and county are tied together at the festival space. The presenter explained that the village and the county jointly own the festival space, the playground and the adjacent south parcel as part of the Westbrook Conservation Easement; the village performs most maintenance and the county reimburses the village for work performed on the shared facilities.

The committee voted to approve the reimbursement resolution after the presenter described the damage, procurement delay and funding source. The chair confirmed the motion carried by voice vote; no opposing votes were recorded on the transcript.

The committee also approved routine business, including the minutes of a prior meeting, before addressing the reimbursement item. The meeting adjourned after a brief festival-space update from staff.