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Parks committee hears mixed results on Kennedy Park fundraising, gets construction update
Summary
Staff briefed the Parks & Recreation Committee on Kennedy Park fundraising and construction progress, confirming some grant denials, a $15,000 county award, volunteer support and dugout construction nearing completion; public commenters asked for clearer documentation and timelines for the multi‑year project.
The Village of Weston Parks & Recreation Committee received an update April 27 on the Kennedy Park capital campaign, recent grant activity and construction progress.
Staff member Sean told the committee the capital campaign section of the monthly report was expanded to include the grant items requested by the board. He said several private foundations and grant applications were not awarded, while Marathon County Parks provided $15,000 (correcting an earlier note of $10,000). He added that the state joint finance committee and several sport‑authority and Brewers Organization grants were not approved this cycle, and that the project may be eligible to reapply in a future federal or state grant round depending on legislative funding.
"We did update the capital campaign and the grant section was added and filled out," Sean said. "We reached out to the Friends group and received verification on the items that were actually grants that were applied for and received, etc." Jimmy, a parks staff member, described about 30 volunteers who helped ready fields and equipment over a recent weekend and said the dugout structures have underlayment and steel roofs in place but remain unfinished due to rain; locks and storage areas will be installed when doors and hardware are set.
During public comment, resident Jim Pisalt urged stronger documentation and consolidated reporting for Kennedy Park, saying trustees and residents need a single, accessible timeline of receipts, expenditures and monthly progress reports for a project he described as "arguably the largest financial undertaking in recent village history." Pisalt said scattered minutes and missing materials make it hard for board members and the public to assess fundraising and spending.
Staff acknowledged prior reporting in the board packet and said the committee update will include more timeline and fundraising detail going forward. Opening weekend at Kennedy is scheduled for the weekend of May 9, and staff noted youth baseball and softball purchases to prepare fields for the season. Staff also confirmed interest from local hockey organizers in participating in the project.
The committee did not take a formal vote related to the capital campaign at the meeting. Members asked staff to provide a clearer timeline of the project's start, major milestones and expenditures in the next quarterly update to respond to board requests for more complete documentation.
Next steps: staff will continue quarterly reporting on the Kennedy Park project and said it will include additional fundraising details and a timeline as requested by the board.
