ONTARIO, Ore. — The city of Ontario, Oregon is planning to build a splash pad thanks to a handful of generous donors in the community.
Residents say the water attraction is highly anticipated after the city's aquatic center had to close its doors several years ago because of budget cuts.
But now that the project is underway, some are taking issue with where the funding is coming from.
Thursday, a grassroots group of residents with the ultimate goal of reopening the Ontario Aquatic Center, sent a letter to city council asking members to change a pot business' $25,000 donation toward a splash pad as either anonymous or return the money altogether.
"I think people took issue with it because it’s coming from a source that is adult-related," says Ontario Mayor Ron Verini.
The business is called Hotbox Farms, a legal marijuana dispensary located about 20 miles northwest in the small community of Huntington, Oregon.
Mayor Verini says whether or not to accept Hotbox Farm's donation isn't about being pro- or anti-marijuana.
"It was an issue about, do we accept a donation from a legal business in our community to support our recreation in our community," says Verini.
After all, Verini says the city accepts money from other entities that could be considered adult-related.
"We as a city, we accept monies from the state, from the liquor sales we have in our state, we accept money from cigarettes that we receive in our state," says Verini.
In the letter, the group Friends of the Aquatic Center warned that if the city didn't go along with its request, it would cost the community $40,000 in donations already pledged from other donors not wanting to be associated with the pot shop.
Ultimately, the city council shot down the group's request with only one donor taking issue.
"He notified us and told us that they did not won't their name associated with Hotbox in the advertisements, so they changed to an anonymous donor," says Verini.
Friends of the Aquatic Center denied KTVB's request for an interview but Verini told us the group's chairwoman Megan Cook resigned today.
The splash pad is scheduled to be built sometime before the end of this year.