CANAAN — The town of Canaan recently withdrew its funding for the Mascoma Valley Parks and Recreation program, citing a lack of cooperation and transparency from officials in neighboring Enfield.

Canaan declined to fund its share of the joint venture — $10,000 — in this year’s town budget, and plans are underway to rebuild an in-town recreation program this fall, Town Administrator Mike Samson said Thursday.

At issue, he said, are disagreements over governance of the program, which started in 2013 with the goal of expanding the number and variety of recreational offerings in the Mascoma Valley. When Canaan signed on, it was promised that financial statements would be available every six months, Samson said.

“That was the first thing that disappeared,” he said in a phone interview. “And then over the years, it got worse and worse and we weren’t getting any financial information at all.”

The frustration came to a head last year when recreation coordinator Kati Lary Jopek stepped down. Samson said Enfield never notified Canaan of the opening and hired Bridget Labrie without input from members of the Canaan community.

“It’s gone on long enough without anyone being responsive over there and it needs a time out,” he said.

Jopek, a former Mascoma Valley Regional High multi-sport star, led the regional program since its founding by Canaan and Enfield roughly eight years ago.

The initial effort was also supported by Upper Valley Healthy Eating Active Living, a Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-based nonprofit that promotes physical activity and nutrition throughout the region.

Jopek’s tenure saw the start of Play Mascoma Valley, a periodical offering full-color descriptions and photos of recreational opportunities in Enfield and Canaan, as well as several joint-town events such as annual Easter egg hunts, the ski and ride program at Whaleback Mountain, and sports camps.

After stepping down, she was replaced by Labrie, a clinical research coordinator for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Labrie also serves on the Mascoma Valley Regional School Board, is Enfield’s cemetery sexton and organizes the Enfield Market.

Phone and email messages left for Labrie on Thursday were not returned.

Enfield’s costs for the regional program — which also come to $10,000 — are included in the town’s proposed budget.

However, it’s not yet clear whether it will be able to operate in the same manner.

That’s because of the loss of Canaan’s financial support and because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which limits how people can gather, according to Interim Enfield Town Manager Jack Wozmak.

Enfield is now reevaluating community interest and its ability to offer recreation programs in light of Canaan’s withdrawal, he said Thursday. Wozmak added that those talks include exploring ways to “insulate” Enfield from “funding recreation for other towns.”

He went on to say that Canaan’s concerns about how the regional program was governed are “very valid.”

“I think through the rough and tumble of time the communication and goals has kind of blurred or disappeared,” he said. “… Might we restore the funding once we have a new shared vision? Absolutely.”

But Samson said it’s unlikely a deal will be reached in 2021, although he believes the programs offered by Mascoma Valley Parks and Recreation are “good for a segment of the population that has traditionally been undeserved.”

“I am open to a dialogue about it … but I don’t anticipate any changes in the town budget this year,” he said.

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.