The Auburn Parks and Recreation Department is looking for a budget of $99,302 for the year to make improvements to facilities and recreation areas around town, pay salaries for part-time employees, and fund family and senior events.

Last year, voters approved a little more than $40,000 for the department after resident Norm Bouley said he asked for about $200,000 in his original proposed budget to begin making some of the repairs and improvements that he contends are vital to the safety and enjoyment of the town’s parks and facilities.

Selectmen approved the 2008 budget amount at a meeting on Nov. 19, down $13,000 from what Bouley proposed to the board.

Bouley told selectmen the department is playing catch-up now with projects that are long overdue.

The department asked for $35,000 in improvements and maintenance costs for playgrounds and parks, which includes $14,000 to make Wayne Eddows field ADA-compliant and $2,300 for the Bicentennial stone project.

Bouley said many of the facilities and fields need new equipment, and potholes plague the soccer fields, all of which constitute safety hazards.

Selectman James Head acknowledged there were safety issues with the fields. The board asked Bouley to cut $10,000 out of that amount before it goes to the Budget Committee. Other points of contention over the budget came from the proposed salaries for the Parks and Recreation secretary, Tracy Noonan, and a general maintenance position.

Selectman Harland Eaton pointed out that they have to be able to justify the salaries to voters, and asked if Noonan’s added duties in the past couple of years constituted a redefinition of her role.

“That’s the decision the selectmen are faced with,” Noonan said. Her proposed salary, $10,000 for the year, remained untouched.

A $12,000 line for the maintenance salary was cut to $9,000, which the selectmen and Bouley agreed upon. Last year, only $1,500 went to that position. Eaton agreed that all of the repairs and improvements in the budget were needed, but that cuts were made in the interest of getting the budget passed. He suggested that some items be put off until the next budget year.