TEMPLETON — On Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, the Templeton Capital Improvements Committee voted to remove a proposed skate park from the town’s five-year capital plan after the Parks and Recreation Commission did not return to present updated information on the project.
The skate park had appeared on the prior year’s capital plan but was not re-presented during the committee’s fiscal year 2027 review process. Committee members said all departments were asked to return with updates.
“They were told that they needed to come and sit here and they knew it,” Candace Graves, a Select Board member serving on the Capital Improvements Committee, said during the discussion.
Elizabeth Toth, an Advisory Committee member who serves on the Capital Improvements Committee as its clerk, said carrying the project forward without updated information would be unfair to other departments that complied with the committee’s request.
“There are other department heads where they were told and they made it happen,” Toth said. Later adding, “This is a significant amount of money, and they should probably take the time to figure out how much – in actuality – they’re going to need.”
Justice Graves, the chairman of the Capital Improvements Committee said Parks and Recreation had been asked to appear before the committee to provide an update—and noted the commission had even inquired about presenting at the Nov. 19 meeting before later pulling back after being told what information the committee would need.
“Regardless of the reason, they didn’t,” Toth said. “And so I would like to suggest that they basically are informed that they have a year to work on it.”
A motion was made to carry the skate park forward into the fiscal year 2028 recommendations. The motion failed on a 3–0 vote with one abstention from Candace Graves, removing the skate park project from the capital plan.
Members emphasized that the decision does not permanently block the project and that Parks and Recreation may return in a future year with a complete proposal to present.
“They could come back and ask, and then it could get determined whether or not it can be in the fiscal year 2028 recommendations or later,” Justice Graves said.
The vote came as the committee finalized its FY2027 Capital Report and FY2027–FY2032 Capital Improvement Plan, which was later approved unanimously (4-0) and forwarded to the Templeton Select Board.
