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Bethel board approves Smith Street Park equipment purchase, OKs $200,000 fund transfer and PARTF application
Summary
The Bethel Town Board voted unanimously to approve purchase of playground equipment and to appropriate $200,000 of town fund balance to the Smith Street Park project, and authorized a resolution to apply for Parks and Recreation Trust Fund matching dollars to expand the park.
The Bethel Town Board on a unanimous vote approved purchase of playground equipment for Smith Street Park and authorized a $200,000 appropriation from town fund balance to support the larger park project.
During a presentation, grant administrator Kelsey Adeel reviewed three vendor bids and recommended equipment procurement from Willie Goat at a base equipment price she reported as "$85,494.82," with additional shipping and taxes. Adeel said one installation quote received from an out‑of‑county contractor was $67,500, pushing the combined equipment-and-installation estimate to roughly $168,332.82, about $35,000 over the project’s original installation budget. "We are getting more equipment than we originally planned," Adeel said, noting a $10,000 discount offered by the vendor and a potential $15,000 discount if the town used the same company for installation.
The board voted to approve the equipment purchase (equipment only, with shipping and tax to be added). Mayor (speaker 2) called for a separate decision on installation; staff said they would continue seeking lower local installation bids and could return the installation contract for later approval.
The board also unanimously approved a motion to appropriate $200,000 of town fund balance to the Smith Street project. Town staff explained that the appropriation, combined with $200,000 in RTG (revitalization/transformation grant) funds and a $50,000 SCIF allocation, would bring the town’s local match to $450,000. That local match will be submitted with an application to the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF); staff said a successful PARTF award (estimated $404,150 in the presentation) would raise the project funding to about $900,000 to complete multiple master‑plan elements.
Town staff said the master plan (prepared by Rivers and Associates) has been phased so the town can pursue elements over time; even with the PARTF match, elements such as an amphitheater and splash pad would likely require future fundraising or grants.
The town will hold a public input meeting on April 15 at 6 p.m. at Town Hall to collect resident input that can increase PARTF application points. Staff said equipment lead times are 10–14 weeks after order placement.
The motion to approve the equipment purchase was made from the floor and carried unanimously; the appropriation and PARTF resolution likewise carried with unanimous votes. The board did not finalize an installation contract at the meeting.
