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Board questions $700,000 splash pad purchase; executive-session follow-up planned
Summary
Town board members said they learned a roughly $700,000 splash pad purchase reached procurement without clear prior supervisor authorization; members flagged water-use, procurement controls and possible disciplinary steps and moved to discuss the matter in executive session.
Board members raised procedural and operational concerns after officials discovered a purchase order for a splash pad—reported to cost about $700,000—had progressed farther than several members understood.
One board member said the purchase was approved by the town board but criticized that staff-level authorization and internal controls allowed the procurement to proceed without broader awareness. "I didn't sign anything until I got authorization from the board because that's what I'm not allowed to do," the board member said, describing a sequence where the acquisition became known only after the equipment was ordered.
Members worried about water and sewer impacts of adding a splash pad during high-demand summer months; one said water usage during the peak season, when Grand Island pumps more water from Niagara County, was a particular concern. Several members said the board had discussed water-use and recirculation systems in prior workshops and that a recirculation option would increase procurement and installation costs substantially.
The transcript records disagreement about how the purchase reached the implementation stage and several board members signaled disciplinary review of the procurement process. The board made a motion to enter executive session to discuss the matter and other personnel/contract issues; the motion was seconded and the meeting prepared to move into closed session for further review.
What's next: the board moved to bring these procurement and process questions into executive session for staff briefings and possible personnel follow-up; no final disciplinary outcomes or vote tallies were recorded in the public portion of the transcript.
