By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Residents in the town of Lysander have voted down a proposal to borrow as much as $400,000 to build a spray park. According to Lysander Town Clerk Dina Falcone, 549 voted against the proposition and 449 voted in favor of it.

“I’m disappointed that the bond wasn’t approved, but I’m still optimistic that we’re going to be able to move forward with the project,” said Supervisor Joe Saraceni.

Saraceni said the town board is waiting to see if Lysander receives any Community Development Block Grant funding, and he added the town is reviewing other funding options.

The town board voted Jan. 18 to authorize a bond of up to $400,000 toward the spray park. A group of residents carried petitions to force the matter to a public vote.

Town Engineer Al Yager estimated the spray park would cost $484,000 and the Lysander Parks and Recreation Department estimated the cost at $481,000.

While the resolution would have allowed the town to bond for up to $400,000, town officials estimated they would only borrow $281,481 over the course of 10 years. The rest of the funding would have come from $100,000 in state grants and $100,000 from the in-lieu-of-parks account.