Parks director says town council cut department budget by about $620,000; Ry Street playground funded, Boundless phase delayed

The Parks and Recreation Commission heard on the first order of business that the town council reduced the department's budget by roughly $620,000, a cut that department leadership said required program-level changes and careful use of the special revenue fund.

"They cut us $620,000," the chair said, describing a final appropriation the chair characterized as 7.53% versus the department's requested 8.16% (figures were discussed and partially unclear in the meeting record). The chair said staff made targeted cuts including about $8,000 in elementary bike-program supplies and schedule changes intended to preserve core offerings.

The commission was told staff also received roughly $450,000 from the state; those dollars will be used to offset health-care reductions and to support high-school facilities planning. Department leaders said they will use some special revenue fund reserves as a cushion for unanticipated costs (the transcript lists special revenue fund figures ambiguously; the exact amounts available were not specified).

On capital priorities, the commission learned Ry Street Park playground moved forward after the town allocated $125,000 from the Rotary Club toward the project and the necessary capital dollars were approved for design and construction contracting this summer. By contrast, Phase 2 of the Boundless Playground's equipment purchase (estimated at about $500,000 in staff remarks) will not proceed this year because the town lacks the surplus to fund the purchase; staff said they will continue fundraising with local banks and rotary support.

Director-level staff told commissioners the town's capital program was reduced to a minimum funding level and that the department will prioritize projects it can execute without additional town capital. Staff identified Crosstown Trail work as a continuing priority and said they have executed a Phase 1a contract with Eversource and are preparing final plans for bidding; a condo-related alignment issue remains unresolved for a later phase.

The meeting record shows staff discussing trade-offs between maintaining programming and preserving a capital buffer; commissioners pressed for details on which line items were cut and how the special revenue fund will be used. The department said they will provide a written budget update and that specific purchase contracts (such as the Ry Street construction contract) will be brought forward when ready.

The commission did not vote on any budget appropriations at this meeting; the town council had already adopted the municipal budget.