Boston's Central Park footpath repairs set to cost more than £213,000
The bill to fix crumbling paths at a much-loved Boston park has risen above initial estimates
Plans to repair a deteriorating footpath at Boston's Central Park could cost more than £213,000, after a procurement exercise pushed the price above initial estimates.
Members of the Boston Town Area Committee (BTAC) have recommended that £213,341.93 should be spent improving the path, following a warning from officials that it is rapidly falling apart.
The work had originally been estimated to cost about £200,000.
But after a procurement exercise, the preferred bidder came in at £13,342 above that figure.
This means the contribution requested from BTAC has been recommended to rise from £125,000 to £138,341.93, with the remaining £75,000 coming from the Pride in Place Impact Fund.
A final decision on the funding, and on whether the improvements will go ahead, will be made at a later date.
At a BTAC meeting on Thursday 24th September, Boston Borough Council deputy leader Mike Gilbert (Blue Revolution, Staniland) said the work was needed to make the park safe for everyone.
"I think it's really important that if we're trying to improve the overall amenity of Boston Central Park, which is one of the crown jewels if you like in Boston's town centre, we need to make it safe and accessible for all users and that includes people who want to use it for things like jogging where we can actually encourage them to use it for that purpose rather than be dissuaded simply on the basis that it's not really safe enough for them to engage in that kind of activity in case they turn their ankle or something."
Phil Perry, service director for leisure and local services at the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership, said the improvements were needed to keep the footpath safe.
"The sections of the pathway are not in good condition for users of the park who may have mobility challenges."
"Some parts of the pathway have given way completely."
Mr Perry explained that the authority had already patched some parts of the path, but this had not solved the problem, and a number of challenges remained.
At the same meeting, members agreed to use £27,300 of BTAC reserve contributions to fund improvements at three other Boston parks, following a biannual inspection of BTAC-managed sites.
At Woodville Road Play Park, £3,550 will be spent on replacing buffers to play equipment, replacing seating on swing bays and replacing a children's rocker.
At Broadfield Lane park, £2,750 will go towards replacing swing chains and seats and repairing the surfacing.
At St John's Road Park, £5,750 will be spent on replacing matting under exercise equipment and replacing bearings.
At Burgess Pit, £3,250 will fund tree planting, the creation of a community orchard and new wildflower areas to support biodiversity, as well as replacing the child rocker.
At Sheltons Fields, £12,000 will be spent on repairing safety surfacing and replacing existing swings with more inclusive alternatives.
Separately, at an East Lindsey District Council executive board meeting on Wednesday 23rd September, members agreed to accept £270,000 from the Government towards improving three play parks in Louth.
The grant funding, from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, will be used to refurbish the Keddington Road, Mount Pleasant and Sandringham Drive play areas.
Members also agreed to spend £20,000 of council match funding on improvements to deteriorating footpaths at the three sites.