ROCHESTER — After fielding a number of questions raised by the community, the Rochester Select Board voted to accept a $45,000 donation from Tri-Town for Protecting Children towards replacing playground equipment at Gifford Park on Monday, Oct. 21.

A plaque acknowledging the donation will be placed at the playground. The plaque will be mutually agreed upon by Tri-Town for Protecting Children and the Rochester Parks Commission.

Tri-Town for Protecting Children is a local non-profit “dedicated to raising awareness in our community about sexually-explicit literature and social influencing being promoted” in public schools, according to its website.

After Select Board Chair Brad Morse opened the floor for questions from the public at the Oct. 21 meeting, some residents voiced concerns with the source of the donation, the plaque and the structure of the playground.

“I'm not going to set a precedent tonight, myself personally, and specifically tell one group or another they can or cannot do something,” said Select Board member Adam Murphy.

Murphy said that the purpose of the agenda item was to accept Tri-Town for Protecting Children’s donation and that other matters regarding the playground could be brought up with the Parks Commission.

Rochester resident Susan McGuire said the plaque would be “a symbol” of the non-profit’s “indoctrination.”

“I would like to know how the town can accept donations from a private group that has been very vocal in the community and not everybody agrees with their views,” McGuire said.

Morse said the plaque will not include anything other than the name of the entity and the acknowledgement of the donation.

“The plaque is not an endorsement of the donor,” said Morse. “It is simply the acknowledgment of the donation.”

Town Administrator Cameron Durant said town counsel has reviewed the donation and deemed it acceptable.

The remaining cost of the playground improvements will be paid for using American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Murphy said there are many endorsements for businesses and organizations around the fencing of the baseball fields at Gifford Park as well as on the back of kids' sports uniforms.

“They support the teams and buy the uniforms,” said Murphy. “When I went to that playground and saw the disarray that that playground is in, I can't even believe we are sitting here today to discuss how we’re going to pay for it.”

Other residents raised questions about the plaque itself, potential additional donations to the playground and whether or not it would comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

“This is a building block,” said Murphy. “The Park Commission is going to move forward with bringing this project forward and building upon it.”

During the meeting, Rochester resident Nate Reece, who unsuccessfully ran for Parks Commission earlier this year, directed a question to Parks Commission Chair David Hughes, who declined to answer, saying “this is not our meeting.”

An agenda posted Oct. 18 read that the Parks Commission “will be holding a meeting in conjunction” with the Select Board on Monday, Oct. 21 “to finalize the agreement for construction of new playground for children at Gifford Park,” signed by Hughes.

Hughes later said the group plans to meet in the future, but he is not sure exactly when that meeting will be.