How much has been raised for Kennedy Park? That answer remains unclear

Village records show the first major phase moved ahead with mostly village-controlled funding, but no single public accounting clearly shows how much has been raised for the full project.

Renderings of the proposed improvements at Kennedy Park in Weston.

Two years ago, Weston officials announced a pretty ambitious project: A total revamp of Kennedy Park, the flagship recreation area in the heart of the village.

The project would redo the entire park eventually, turning it into a veritable baseball complex, with those fields taking up a large footprint in the park. New hockey rinks would come in future phases as well.

The cost? $14.5 million

Who will pay for it? According to early village documents, that would be split roughly 60/40, with the village covering about $8.3 million in costs and fundraising conducted by Friends of Kennedy Park covering the rest. Those costs on the village’s side, village leaders say, are for things the village already would be paying for even without the revamp: things like upgraded bathrooms, a new park shelter, storage space and even a warming house.

But so far the split hasn’t been weighted like that — the latest village records show that village-controlled funds have paid for the bulk of the Kennedy Park rehab so far. And that money raised so far for the project is well below what the village has already put in, including covering two ball fields. And that comes while many raise concerns about the project and how much has been relayed to village officials and the public.

Village officials now say future phases of the Kennedy Park master plan will not move forward until money is raised. But the first major phase already moved ahead with mostly village-controlled funding, including borrowed ARPA funds, capital funds and room tax money, plus a $500,000 private donation.

But the biggest question remains to be answered: How much was actually raised for the project so far?

The Wausonian dug into the numbers.