Village Considers O.C. Community Development Grant Projects

By Katie Bisaro 

The Village of Warwick Board of Trustees held two public hearings prior to the start of the Mon., May 17 meeting to consider projects that may be eligible for funding under the FY-2021 Orange County Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and the Orange County Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program (CDBG-DR) from FY-2012 (Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee).

Under the Orange County CDBG, several sidewalks have been repaired throughout the Village of Warwick including Wheeler Ave., Van Buren St. and most recently High St. across from Village Hall. The grant monies are awarded based on economic census figures and there are fewer eligible projects in the Village of Warwick based on the latest census. 

An application will be submitted to redo the sidewalk on South St. between Second and Third Streets to make it handicap accessible in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The sidewalk will be “lowered” with ramps on either end. This project will complete upgrades to the sidewalks on South St. between Railroad Ave. and Third St.

Regarding the Disaster Recovery availability of CDBG funding, the Trustees also looked into adding to the Village’s hazard mitigation plans and the need for emergency power generators for key Village facilities such as the water plant and Village Hall. Unfortunately, the need for the generators is not due to direct damage from Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee but would be mitigations for future storms. As a result, that project is not eligible for CDBG-DR funding. 

Village Appoints Counsel for Art. 78 Proceeding

The Village Board of Trustees appointed Drake Loeb, LLC as counsel in an Article 78 proceeding that has been brought by Patrick Gallagher against the Village Zoning Board of Appeals. An Article 78 proceeding is a means of challenging determinations made by administrative agencies, including public bodies and officers.

WVHS Class of ’21 Car Parade

Warwick Valley High School Class of 2021 will celebrate 21 days left until graduation and the end of their high school careers with a car parade through the Village of Warwick.

The senior class will gather at the high school on the morning of Sat., June 5 to decorate their cars and line up for the parade. At 10 a.m., the parade will leave the high school and proceed on West St. Ext., turn right on County Rte. 1 and then left onto Rte. 94. The parade will continue onto Oakland Ave. and Main St. in the Village of Warwick to Colonial Ave. The parade will turn right onto Colonial Ave. and right again onto Forester Ave. ending at Park Ave. Elementary School.

Permission was granted for the parade and the Warwick Police Department has approved the route. 

Outdoor Spaces Are Popular Meeting Spots

Several organizations have been given permission to hold meetings at the pavilion in Veterans Memorial Park on Forester Ave. in the Village of Warwick. 

The Warwick Art League will gather on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., May through October, for their weekly painting and drawing sessions. Girl Scout Troop 43 will meet at the pavilion in June and the Warwick Valley Quilt Guild will also hold meetings there May through July. The Quilt Guild usually meets in the Senior Center at Warwick Town Hall, but that venue was closed due to the COVID-19 health situation and has only recently re-opened for senior groups only.

Annual Merchant Guild Sidewalk Sale

The Warwick Merchants Guild will hold its annual Sidewalk Sale on Main St. and Railroad Ave. on Sat., July 10, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun., July 11, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will be no parking on Main St. from Warwick Resource Group, on the corner of South St., to Eddie’s Roadhouse and WVT to Fizzy Lifting Candy Shop from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday for the event. There will also be no parking on Railroad Ave. during the same hours on Saturday and Sunday of the event and Railroad Ave. will be closed.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Village Board of Trustees will be held on Mon., June 7, at 7:30 p.m. The meeting may be viewed on the Village of Warwick YouTube Channel.

The sidewalk on South St., between Second St. & Third St. is the proposed project the Village is hoping to fund through the Orange County Community Development Block Grant.