Board alarmed after splash‑pad purchase order leaves funding gap; members ask staff to trace authorization

The board spent a lengthy portion of the workshop reviewing the splash‑pad project’s finances after staff presented grant and vendor figures that indicated a material funding gap.

Chair (speaker 4) reported that the splash‑pad vendor quoted $708,000 for the playground hardware and that the board’s accounting showed roughly $650,000 already spent on the broader project. Staff reported about $675,000 remaining in grant funds, but when the board added vendor cost plus site utilities — water (~$40,000), sanitary sewer (~$25,000) and power upgrade (~$10,000) — members said their arithmetic showed a shortfall. Chair noted that would put the project ‘‘negative $108,000 currently’’ based on the numbers shared during the workshop.

Several members said they were surprised a purchase order (PO) had already been signed. One member described the situation as ‘‘absolutely absurd’’ and demanded a written accounting of who authorized the PO, how the town will fund hookups and whether the supplier can be paused or renegotiated.

Support staff and other board members said the equipment purchase itself may be covered by grant‑reimbursement and bonding arrangements, but repeated that the board needs clarity: who issued the PO, whether the purchase can be rescinded without penalty and what portion of the overall work (water, sewer, concrete, fencing) remains unfunded.

Next steps: staff were asked to provide a detailed reconciliation of the grant, bond and town funding for the project, document the authorization chain for the PO and produce options for closing the deficit or pausing further spending. The board did not make a final decision on canceling or rescinding the PO at the workshop.