Commission grants REC Inc. temporary status amid program cuts

The Commission voted 4-0-1, with Commissioner Zmak abstaining, to grant REC Inc. temporary status as a Town Civic Organization so the nonprofit can keep supporting adult developmental-disabilities programming while the Town figures out who runs it long-term. The vote came after dozens of residents and program participants, including Dave Wilkinson, Robin Sloan, Lisa Tony, Karen Hers and Maya Rogers, spoke up during public comment about the program's future.

“12 programs have been cancelled since July 28th.”— Erin Duggan, Co-Director, REC Inc.

The programs — recreation activities for adults with developmental disabilities that the Town's Recreation Department has run for more than 30 years, originally developed with REC Inc. — have been unraveling since summer. Co-director Erin Duggan told the Commission that a dozen sessions have already been scrapped, and in written correspondence she laid out exactly what the Recreation Department has historically handled: updating and supervising the programs, marketing, volunteer recruitment and training, ADA accommodations, and day-to-day operations.

Parent Karen Tamborski, whose daughter Tesha participates, wrote asking the Commission to do whatever it can to keep the program going, calling it vital for participants and their volunteers. A Parks and Recreation Commission subcommittee has begun meeting to work out a transition plan, with REC Inc. asking to be part of that process. Recreation Director Tim Barry said the subcommittee met for the first time this week and that he would report back after.

Commission weighs which park upgrades make the 2027 cut

Staff laid out a long menu of leftover projects from the 2023 Facilities Master Plan — covering Town Park, Menke Park, Cove Park, Granada Park, Higgins Landing and Bayside Trail — for the Commission to start narrowing down for next year's Work Plan. The price tags range widely: $2,500 for Town Park distance markers up to $500,000 to replace the skatepark bathroom, with other big-ticket items including $250,000 twice over for outdoor fitness equipment at Town Park and Cove Park, $150,000 for bocce courts, and $150,000 for additional pickleball courts at Granada Park.

All of that competes for a Capital Budget that sets aside just $200,000 a year for Parks and Recreation through FY29-30, meaning the Commission will have to pick favorites rather than fund everything at once. Staff asked for direction now, with a final recommended list coming back to the Commission for approval on December 17, 2026 before heading to the Town Council.

In a related item, the Commission reviewed results from a 172-response community survey on outdoor fitness equipment and directed staff to include it in the 2027 Work Plan — giving that $250,000-per-site item an early edge in the ranking.