‘Spread the Warmth’ in Village of Warwick

By Katie Bisaro

Even with the hope of spring still on the horizon, there is still a need for cold weather accessories such as hats, scarves and mittens. To that end, Warwick resident Kerri Foley and her children came up with a way to distribute those items to those in need in an anonymous way, through an initiative they are calling “Spread the Warmth.”

Foley has already established the program in Pine Island where, at Pine Island Park off Kay Rd., residents have donated gently used or new articles and hung them in plastic bags on the fence at the park with clothespins. The bags are labeled appropriately (boy, girl, adult) so that those in need can go to the park and find what they may need. Signs explaining the system are visible in both English and Spanish.

With the success of the project in Pine Island, Foley sought approval from the Board of Trustees at their meeting on Mon., Mar. 1 for a similar project in the Village of Warwick at Stanley-Deming Park for the remainder of this winter and to return next winter. Foley will store any leftover items. 

The Trustees gave Foley the green light for the project and briefly discussed alternate locations. Foley commented that she considered other locations in the Village such as the fence next to Akin’s Pharmacy on Main St. or the Railroad Green, but she felt those locations were too exposed and that the success of the project is the anonymity. 

Trustee Corey Bachman pointed out that Stanley-Deming Park is also close to Christ Church on South St. which has a Blessing Box for food. Trustee Barry Cheney suggested coordinating with the Warwick Food Pantry as well as on social media as a means of getting the word out to those who may be in need.  

Funding for Wastewater Treatment Plant

Mayor Michael Newhard and Trustee Barry Cheney have been meeting with Village Accountant Michael Vernieri to discuss funding of the ongoing $12 million wastewater treatment plant project which includes work that has already started on an ultraviolet system for the treatment plant and upgrades to the Orchard St. pump station.

The Village has received a significant Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) grant to fund a portion of the project. However, the Village has not received a final contract from EFC for the funding and the timing is not clear as to when that will happen. As a result, the Village needs to cover $2 million until the EFC grant funds come in.

Village Considers BAN to Cover Costs

According to Newhard, Vernieri has suggested issuing a Bond Anticipation Note (BAN) as a “bridge” to “continue to cover the cost of all these pieces [of the ongoing project] so we don’t skip a beat and continue with the work as it is.”

Trustee Cheney explained that one of the key reasons to consider the BAN is that one of the resources the Village can obtain is zero percent construction project financing.

“Once we have the contract in place, we’re going to be able to fund all work up to the full $12 million with a zero percent construction loan from EFC. At the conclusion of the construction, we would go to the long-term financing at reduced rates that are available through EFC,” Cheney said.

All the required paperwork, including technical engineering documents, are being submitted and Cheney is hopeful the final contract will be in place soon. The BAN is a way to ensure the Village can meet its obligations in the meantime and may not even be necessary once they know the timeline for the EFC funding.

“This, in essence, is just a strategy to just make sure we’re not exposed [by] not having the funds,” Newhard added, “we’re basically keeping this in our back pocket, if we have to, we can move with it, if we don’t then we won’t.”

Village View Application Sent to AHDRB

The Board of Trustees voted to refer the Special Use Permit application of Village View Estates, a proposed subdivision in the area of Woodside Dr. and Locust St., to the Architectural and Historic District Review Board for review and recommendations.

Warwick Quilt Guild Event Date Changed

The Warwick Valley Quilt Guild has changed the date of its event from the end of July to Sat., Sept. 18. The quilt display event will take place at the pavilion at Veterans Memorial Park, off Forester Ave., in the Village of Warwick.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Village of Warwick Board of Trustees will take place on Mon., Mar. 15, at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom and may be viewed live by the public on the Village of Warwick, NY YouTube Channel. 

Kindergarten students from Theresa Canfield’s class hung up cold weather items donated by Pine Island Elementary School students on a fence at Pine Island Park as part of a community effort called ‘Warwick Spreads the Warmth.’