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Parks commissioner outlines camp and pool budget pressures, requests $357,500 in vehicle/equipment replacements
Summary
Parks & Recreation Commissioner Joe Leccasse highlighted minimum‑wage impacts on seasonal staffing, proposed raising day‑camp fees to bring in an estimated $20,000, and requested $357,500 in capital replacements including a dump truck, wide‑area mower and field equipment.
Joe Leccasse, Parks & Recreation Commissioner, presented the department’s budgets and capital requests at the Oct. 7 work session, emphasizing labor cost pressures and a set of vehicle/equipment replacements.
Leccasse said the department employs about 27 full‑time staff and more than 300 part‑time seasonal workers, so minimum‑wage increases have a material effect on operating lines. He told the board the department will increase the cost per child at day camps by $50 "which will bring in $20,000 extra," a revenue adjustment intended to limit the net impact of higher seasonal labor costs.
On transportation for camps, Leccasse said bus service procurement has become more expensive and he included a 5% increase in the transportation line for 2026 in anticipation of rebidding vendor contracts. "The last time we went out to bid was three years ago. ... Same bidder, higher," he said.
Leccasse also presented five capital items totaling roughly $357,500: a replacement 4x4 crew cab dump truck with plow ($115,000); a large John Deere wide‑area mower ($83,000); a plug‑in hybrid replacement vehicle; a Smithco field drag ($53,000); and a maintenance van ($58,000). He said older vehicles will be turned over to DPW for auction when replaced.
The board discussed pool season timing and staffing constraints for extended late‑season openings; Leccasse noted cold nighttime temperatures in September and the practical difficulty of staffing multiple pools using young seasonal hires. No votes were taken at the work session; budget lines will be considered again before the supervisor issues the town budget on Oct. 30.
