Date: Fri 23-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Parks-Recreation-Kasbarian

Full Text:

Parks and Rec Director Seeks Funds For Capital Projects

BY STEVE BIGHAM

The Parks & Recreation Department has requested nearly $950,000 in the 1998-99

town budget, an increase of some $300,000 over what it received last year.

Most of that funding request is for capital items. Last year, the town agreed

to give the department just $10,500, but P&R Director Barbara Kasbarian says

she can no longer hold the line. This year's request for capital items is

$255,650.

The bulk of that money, $150,000, would go to pay for the construction of new

bathroom facilities at Dickinson Park, but there are other capital items that

have been on Mrs Kasbarian's "need to do" list for several years. Last year,

her department requested $85,000 for capital expenditures. It received about

12 percent of that. Those needs have not gone away, the director notes.

"At some point, somebody has got to bite the bullet if we want to keep our

parks up to code and be able to service all people in town," Mrs Kasbarian

said.

Among the most pressing jobs needed is new fencing around the Dickinson tennis

courts. The new fence was needed a year ago, but now it us needed even more

since a fallen tree recently destroyed about 70 feet of fence. (See related

story.)

Also, the department is hoping for money to purchase a new $37,000 four-wheel

drive dump truck to replace the 1987 version it has now. A new riding mower, a

bit of paving, and another small truck round out the remaining items needed.

As for the bathrooms, the original plan was to renovate the existing ones at

Dickinson at a cost of $5,000. However, that was scratched because of

handicapped accessibility concerns, which would have forced several of the

stalls to be closed. The new bathrooms will be located underneath the

pavilion, near the stage.

The Board of Selectmen will be taking up the P&R budget request at an upcoming

meeting.