It was not a promising night for Salvador Pina and Jaime Rebhan, who both brought selectmen a request for permission to apply for funding for the Community and Economic Development Authority’s Lopes Playground Rehabilitation project in Onset.

Pina, the development authority’s director, and Rebhan, the authority’s senior project manager, appealed to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday evening to begin the process of applying for Community Preservation Act funding and a Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities grant.

According to Pina, the project would piggyback on the $400,000 renovation of the Hynes Field parking lot, across the street from Lopes Playground. The total proposed amount for the project is up to $1 million. They would be asking for $600,000 in CPA funds, which, Pina said, could be matched by a PARC grant for up to $400,000, equalling the proposed total.

Though the CPA funds could not be used for maintenance, they may be used for project planning and development, as well as other costs. Maintenance would come in the form of volunteer effort, which Pina believes may expand, due to “a heightened sense of community pride” in the rehabilitated playground.

The Selectmen, most notably Stephen Holmes and Alan Slavin, objected to this, on the grounds that there was not enough information about the proposed renovations. Selectman Judith Whiteside said she did not think the project warranted nearly as much money as Pina and Rebhan were asking for.

“To me, $400,000 for a parking lot … is mind-blowing,” Whiteside said. “I’m convinced that many people in this town want the best for this town … but $400,000 for a parking lot just stabs my Republican heart right in half.”

The board declined Pina’s and Rebhan’s request, stating it required more answers, regarding the exact use of the money to be granted.

Pina later said he believed the board misunderstood what he and Rebhan were asking.

“The process to apply for this is to come to the Financial Committee, then [to the selectmen],” Pina said. “All we were asking for is permission to apply [for funding].”

Pina also said he does not know if the project will require all the money requested -- the numbers he stated were the “upper limits” of the funding available. If it so happens they do not require all the money, they will not take it all. But CEDA first must apply for the funding, in order to begin developing a plan that will allow them to see how much money is needed.

“Once we have a plan, we can figure out what we are going to need,” Pina said.