Gosport’s Town Council is moving forward with plans for a playground near the town’s square.
This comes after the project failed to receive a board motion during the previous council meeting which effectively stalled progress.
Council members say they wanted the Gosport Business Association — who is funding and studying the playground — to iron out specifics like the cost of insurance and to preserve a public building located near the proposed location.
The association scaled back the project to preserve the building and came with a quote from an insurance company.
Tempers in the community flared in recent weeks, but Tuesday night’s meeting was procedural, with the board granting project approval unanimously.
Rachel Bernard is a member of the Gosport Business Association. She says she’s pleased with the results, but believes this could be revealing of a bigger problem.
"It does make me concerned for the future of Gosport," Bernard said before the meeting. "If we can’t agree on a swing set and a jungle gym for our kids and we’re going to face opposition like this every time we try to do something new or we try to do something for the town, than I don’t know what hope is here."
The association will now start fundraising for the park, which is estimated to cost $128,000.
