By Lourice Angie
A public hearing to establish the Warwick Valley Office & Technology Corporate Park Lighting District at the former Mid-Orange Correctional Facility property was held before the start of the regularly scheduled Town Board meeting on Thurs., July 16. The public hearing and the Board meeting that followed took place in Town Hall, the first in-person meeting since March when online meetings were held due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Warwick Town Supervisor, Michael Sweeton, presented a detailed description of the district’s boundaries at the former correctional site. The reason for creating a special lighting district is so that only those people who benefit from the district would be responsible for the charges.
When the Town acquired the facility in 2014 it was powered by one building. This was not a viable solution, explained Supervisor Sweeton, since there were several parcels created. Some of the parcels were retained by the Town and some were purchased by the Warwick Valley Local Development Corporation for redevelopment.
Infrastructure on the site to distribute electricity had to be created. Sweeton reported that the Town was able to get a portion of the district, including the streetlights, paid for by a grant from Empire State Development while obtaining an additional grant to match from the local development corporation.
The infrastructure to complete the rest of the project would fall upon what will become the lighting district, once it is created. This project will power the pump stations, water towers and water distribution within the district, in addition to any street lighting added to serve those commercial parcels.
The cost is estimated to be $57,963, which the Town would round up to $60,000 for the purpose of creating the district, according to Sweeton. The Board is accepting written correspondence from the public through Sun., July 26. A resolution to create the district will be revised and presented for adoption at the next Town Board meeting in August.
Annual Senior Citizen BBQ Cancelled
The Town Board announced that, due to concerns and uncertainty related to Covid-19, the Senior Citizen BBQ will not be held this year. While this decision will be very disappointing to many, as this event is highly anticipated by local seniors each year, the Board feels it is the best decision.
“There’s just no way to social distance the nearly 700 seniors who attend the event each year. We do not want to endanger our seniors in any way. Fatalities due to Covid-19 fall heavily on the 65 years and older portion of our population, over 77% county-wide. Our seniors and community have done a great job in staying safe, and we can’t stop now,” Sweeton said.
The Town of Warwick, along with the Warwick Valley Rotary Club, plan to hold BBQ again next year “in a bigger and better way.”
Friendly Visitor Program Volunteer Training
The Friendly Visitor Program is committed to supporting local seniors by helping them remain in their homes. It is done by matching local volunteers with residents that are in need of support.
Volunteers help make difference by providing transportation to local appointments, helping with grocery shopping, providing home visits and clerical assistance or by simply chatting on the phone. The next Friendly Visitor Program volunteer training will be held via zoom on Tues., July 28, at 3 p.m. Reservations are required. For additional information or to make a reservation, call 341-1173 ext. 305 or email Paula Blumenau at: pblumenau@jfsorange.org.
Next Board Meeting
The next Town Board Meeting will be held at the Warwick Town Hall located at 132 Kings Hwy. in Warwick, on Thurs., Aug 13 at 7:30 p.m.
