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Resident warns Select Board against using town funds for Memorial Grounds work; board says church participation reduces town cost
Summary
During public comment, resident Rollin Waterhouse urged the Select Board not to use Town funds for repairs at the Memorial Grounds because it could set a precedent; the board and Town Administrator said the church was included in planning and offered to pay half, and other resident contributions may offset town expense.
At the July 2 meeting a resident urged the Acton Select Board not to use town funds for work at the Memorial Grounds, saying the project could set a precedent for spending town money on privately owned land.
Rollin Waterhouse told the board that paying for the Memorial Grounds' work would set a precedent for using Town money on private property. David Winchell Jr. responded that the property is shared with the church and compared it to the town plowing the church’s parking lot. The Town Administrator said the church had been included in the project's review, had offered to pay half of the project cost, and that residents and groups such as "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" had offered to contribute, so the budgetary impact to the town may be negligible. Thomas McGurty added that the town is permitted to make donations.
The board did not take a vote or formal action on funding at the meeting. Board members said they will continue planning work on the Memorial site and will meet with bidders; the municipal-grounds liaison said contract dates for gym removal would be rewritten and further coordination would follow.
The public comment and board reply took place during the meeting’s public comment portion; no funding appropriation or firm cost estimates were provided at the July 2 session.
