City Councilor Gary Groves said he added $100,000 for a skateboard park to a city bond last week to make a statement about adding money to bonds at the last minute.

He admitted this week that the move “kind of backfired” when councilors approved his request, along with two others, in a 5-2 vote. Groves and Council President Jim Violette cast the dissenting votes.

While he said he appreciated the support of other councilors, he said he hoped they would reconsider the $250,000 they added to the bond when it came back before them at a special council meeting Monday night.

“I just don’t feel we should come down to the council chamber and add money to a bond that is going to increase the budget without any warning,” Groves said. “To add $250,000 on any given night just isn’t the way to go.”

On Aug. 15, councilors voted, 5-2, to approve a $1.5 million capital improvement bond with the newly added money earmarked to pay for improvements to playgrounds in the city, construction of a skateboard park and money to help the Westbrook Food Pantry find a permanent home.

The bond started out as a $1.1 million bond. The city Administration then asked the council to approve an additional $150,000 to cover the cost of replacing the HVAC system at the Walker Memorial Library. That cost would have been covered by interest from the library’s Fluett Trust Fund.

Because of the addition to the bond, it came before the council for first reading at the Aug. 15 meeting. It was during that meeting where councilors moved to add more money to the bond.

Councilor Brendan Rielly added $50,000 for the Westbrook Food Pantry. Rielly described the money as an “insurance policy” to make sure the pantry remains open as it searches for a new home.

Rielly said the food pantry is still looking for a donated space, and if the organization were successful in finding a free space the money included in the bond would not be spent. However, he said he included the money in the bond to make sure the food pantry would not have to close due to a lack of money to pay for a space. He said he believed if the food pantry were to close, it would cost the city’s general assistance fund well over $50,000 to provide the services that the food pantry currently does.

City Administrator Jerre Bryant said if the city borrows the $50,000 for the food pantry as part of this bond, it would have to spend that money within two years, or else face penalties from the Internal Revenue Service. He said the penalty is designed to stop communities from borrowing money they don’t need.

After Rielly added the money for the food pantry, Councilor John O’Hara moved to add $100,000 to improve the city’s playgrounds. He said the city started to look at improving the playgrounds a couple of years ago, and he felt it was time to take some action.

Bryant said when the city began to look at improving the playgrounds two years ago, it set aside money from various accounts for the playgrounds. He said the city earmarked $20,000 for the playground at each of the four elementary schools and another $20,000 for the playground at Riverbank Park.

To date, Bryant said the money for playgrounds at Congin and Saccarappa schools has all been spent. He said Canal School has spent $11,500 of the $20,000, and Prides Corner School has not spent any of the money. Bryant said Prides Corner has been holding off on playground improvements.

As for Riverbank Park, Bryant said the city has spent only $1,000 of the $20,000 allotment, mostly for repair and replacement of existing equipment.

The council will vote on second reading of the capital improvement bond at a special meeting of the City Council on Monday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. in room 114 of Westbrook High School.

Copy the Story Link