🏞️ Recreation Advisory Committee
$25K Budget Boost Expands Croton Day Camp Capacity
The Recreation Advisory Committee learned the 2026-2027 recreation budget will increase by approximately $25,000 to fund additional day camp staff needed for expanded enrollment at Croton schools. The committee also announced a public meeting on March 2nd regarding upcoming infrastructure improvements at Gouveia Park.
◆ Key Actions & Decisions
- **Resolutions Passed**: None.
- **Resolutions Failed**: None.
- **Applications Reviewed**: None.
- **Public Comments**: None.
- **Reports**:
- **DPW Update (Debi Braddick & John Bouchard)**: Weekend Dog Park hours will remain the same for now. Dobbs Park playground work is delayed due to weather with no updated start date from the contractor. Sue Mandel requested a donated bench be placed at Croton Point Park rather than a Village Park. John Bouchard is coordinating with two other individuals who are also donating benches to the Village.
- **Recreation Update (Mark Duncan)**: Department operations are running smoothly and planning has begun for the spring/summer brochure. Croton schools will be available to host summer camps this year.
- **Gouveia Park Update (Debi Braddick)**: Shared a memo from Village Manager Bryan Healy stating that weather permitting, work will begin soon on driveway, drainage, lighting, and fence upgrades. A public meeting is scheduled for March 2nd to provide a property update.
- **Recreation Budget (Mark Duncan)**: The 2026-2027 budget will increase by approximately $25,000. The increase is primarily to hire additional staff for the Day Camp, which can now increase enrollment since it is moving from Holy Name of Mary to the Croton schools.
Croton’s day camp is getting a boost in capacity this summer, along with a budget increase to match.
At Monday’s Recreation Advisory Committee meeting, Recreation Department representative Mark Duncan announced that the 2026-2027 recreation budget will increase by approximately $25,000. The bump in funding is directly tied to the day camp's relocation from Holy Name of Mary back to the Croton schools, a move that will allow the program to significantly increase enrollment after last year's constraints.
"Most of the increase is due to the additional staff that will be needed for the Day Camp," Duncan explained to the committee, noting that the previous location greatly reduced the number of children who could attend.
The committee also received an update on the long-anticipated improvements at Gouveia Park. Committee Chair Debi Braddick shared a memo from Village Manager Bryan Healy indicating that work on the park's driveway, drainage, lighting, and fencing is scheduled to begin soon, weather permitting. Residents eager to see progress on the property will have a chance to hear details and ask questions at a public update meeting on March 2nd.
On the facilities front, DPW representative John Bouchard noted that the Dobbs Park playground project has hit a weather-related delay, with no immediate word on when the contractor will break ground. Bouchard also addressed several bench donations coming into the village, including a request from Sue Mandel to place her donated bench at Croton Point Park instead of a village park.
For dog owners, there are no immediate changes on the horizon; Braddick confirmed that weekend Dog Park hours will remain the same for the time being.
Residents interested in the Gouveia Park improvements should mark their calendars for the March 2nd public meeting. The next regular Recreation Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 9, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.
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