Burlington Recreation Commission Unanimously Approves $560,000 in FY27 Capital Requests

BURLINGTON — February 9, 2026 — Burlington Recreation Commission approves $560,000 in FY27 capital requests and a $2.49 million operating budget. The commission voted 3-0 on each of five capital items at its February 9 meeting, headlined by $200,000 in design funding for a Simons Park overhaul estimated at $3.796 million in full construction costs — work that includes a universally accessible playground, splash pad features, a renovated wading pool, and bathrooms with adult changing tables, none of which have been updated in roughly 27 years. The FY27 operating budget of $2,486,331 reflects a 4.47 percent increase driven largely by a conversion of a part-time clerk position to a full-time recreation therapist and a nearly 21 percent jump in occupancy costs tied to new field lighting at Marshall Simons. A $50,000 ceramics room renovation — intended to create a teaching kitchen and flexible programming space — was approved at that figure but commissioners flagged it as potentially underfunded, directing staff to return with a contractor estimate before the item reaches the Ways and Means Committee.