The county will pay the matching funds for a grant received to repair decking at the EDCO Park pool, but the funds will be reimbursed.

The commissioners voted unanimously at their Wednesday meeting to approve a three-month payment plan for Evans City for the matching funds owed on the decking grant.

County Solicitor Julie Graham said the county will cut a check for more than $31,000 to pay the matching funds that EDCO Park Authority board members said they didn’t know were due, but the borough will reimburse the county about $10,000 in October, $10,000 in November and $11,000 in December.

Because the contractor who performed the work will not be paid until the matching funds are forthcoming, the check from the county will allow the contractor to be paid.

Leslie Osche, commissioners chairwoman, said the borough does not have the capital to pay the money all at once.

There was confusion earlier this month between authority officials and the county parks and recreation director, as authority officials maintained they were told they would not have to pay the matching funds.

Lance Welliver, parks director, said the authority has known since spring that it would have to provide the $30,000.

“The borough is paying us,” Osche said. “What happens between the borough and EDCO Park is up to them.”

The authority will reimburse the borough for the $31,250 Evans City will pay to the county, Lee Dyer, borough council president, said. Dyer added the authority already has paid $2,900 to match a grant that funded the purchase of a slide.

Cindy Caldwell, pool manager, said the matter was settled at a Sept. 10 meeting of authority board members, borough officials and county commissioners, where, Caldwell said, she and park authority Treasurer Ashlee Zinkhann proposed reimbursing the borough. “We weren’t contracted, but, I think, we feel obligated,” Caldwell added.

Evans City will divert money set aside for removing or repairing bricks on Main Street to pay the county, Dyer said. When it has the ability to do so, the EDCO Park Foundation, a separate nonprofit that raised funds for the park, will repay the borough.

To help raise those funds to reimburse the borough, Caldwell said, the park is offering lifetime memberships for both individuals and families at the price of $2,000 and $5,000, respectively.

She said the park authority arrived at those figures by factoring in the current price of membership, transferable passes and other benefits associated with the lifetime option, adding she thinks it is a good value.

“We took into consideration all those fees without any inflation,” she said.

In addition to the memberships, the foundation will divert funds from other fundraisers.

The Nov. 9 girls night out event, which the foundation hosts in conjunction with the Lions Club, will help pay for the matching funds, as will proceeds from pizza coupon sales at Oktoberfest. Caldwell said a holiday pie sale might also be held.

Despite the confusion in recent weeks over how funds would be matched, Dyer said he thought the renovation was done well and has added value to the community. “I think that the park commission did a very good job. I think the Butler County commissioners helped a great deal. I think the guys over at the pool worked their backsides off to make sure this got done in time,” he said. “This one just kind of slipped through the cracks with so many things going on at one time.”