Sherborn Advisory Committee Recommends $50,000 Recreation Appropriation, Far Below Request

SHERBORN -- March 18, 2026, Sherborn Advisory Committee recommends $50,000 recreation appropriation ahead of Saturday warrant hearing. The committee, meeting Wednesday with six of seven members present, agreed informally to recommend a $50,000 general-fund appropriation for the Recreation Commission, half the commission's $100,000 request, paired with a $300,000 revolving-fund spending cap, allowing the department's planned $350,000 total spend while drawing more heavily on reserves. Member Divya Malloy led the challenge, arguing the department functions primarily as a "field rental business," with $120,000 of projected $212,000 in revolving-fund revenue coming from outside organizations renting athletic fields. Recreation Coordinator Dave Welch and Commission member Pat Brest defended the budget as appropriate for an "already underfunded department." The committee also approved three unanimous reserve fund transfers: $11,637.20 for unbudgeted special education costs at the Norfolk County Agricultural School, $33,000 to repair the Fire Department's 2004 tanker pump before a town meeting-funded frame repair can proceed, and $58,364.24 to cover cost overruns on the Woodhaven and Leland Farms water supply consolidation, where a construction shutdown ran seven weeks instead of the projected three.