Finance Committee rejects $1 million pool bond in unanimous vote

MARLBOROUGH — September 16, 2024 — Marlborough Finance Committee rejects $1 million pool bond, requests $2.1 million in free cash instead. The committee voted 5-0 against Mayor J. Christian Dumas's bond order for municipal pool and splash pad work, then voted 5-0 to ask the mayor to send down a $2.1 million free cash transfer covering full pool replacements at both Ferro Park ($858,000) and Ward Park ($941,000) plus a $200,000 building addition. Council President Michael Ossing said using free cash would save roughly $600,000 in interest on a 15-year bond and pushed to keep Ward Park's 60-year-old pool open in 2025 while design work proceeds, saying no one had shown the pool would "catastrophically fail." Ward 3 Councilor Samantha Perlman rejected a splash pad substitute, citing walk-up users, disabled swimmers, and an $11,000 annual maintenance gap. Free cash was certified at $19 million.