EVANS CITY — Braden Rubinosky donated his birthday money over three years to help renovate the EDCO Park pool, presenting Mayor Dean Zinkhann with a $1,300 check at the Aug. 1 rededication.

His mother, Amy Rubinosky, said Braden, 10, wanted to see a bigger slide or climbing wall in the newly renovated pool.

“He was really looking forward to having something for the bigger kids next year,” Rubinosky said.

But with the $31,250 in unmatched grant money that helped fund the overdue renovation, future fundraisers will go toward that, rather than the climbing wall.

The more than $31,000 will be repaid by the borough to the county — which is fronting the money, so the contractor is paid — in three installments, and the EDCO Park Foundation plans to reimburse the borough.

The matter of the missing matching funds was first brought up at the Sept. 3 borough council meeting, where Cindy Caldwell, pool manager, said she did not realize the money had to be matched. John Rogers, park board president, said he was also unaware of the requirement.

Rubinosky said EDCO Park Foundation’s share of the “Ladies Night Out” fundraiser, which it hosts in conjunction with the Lions Club, will now help to repay the matching funds.

The climbing wall, which was one possible purchase with fundraiser money, would have cost about $15,000, Rubinosky said.

“I think that was well within the realm of what we were expecting to achieve this year,” she added.

Even with a possible $15,000 diversion, less than half of the outstanding balance would be repaid. This means more fundraisers are necessary, according to Rubinosky.

“Had we been informed about this in February — seven months ago — maybe we could’ve had more fundraisers during the course of the summer to help offset this cost,” she said.

To help pay off the balance, EDCO Park is also selling lifetime memberships, ranging from $2,000 for an individual to $5,000 for a family of four.

The ramifications of the confusion over the matching funds also extends to borough public works projects.

Lee Dyer, borough council president, said Evans City will postpone a project on the Main Street bricks.

“That’s something we’ve had our eyes on for a while,” Dyer said.

Rubinosky said she appreciates the assistance and support from the borough, despite the recent confusion over grant money.

“The town really wanted this to happen, and they are very supportive,” she said. “I just feel like if we knew about this earlier, it wouldn’t be so devastating now.”