Municipal officials seek state funding to foster greater connectivity between their communities

Seeking to revitalize their individual municipalities and to foster greater connectivity between their communities, the villages of Warwick, Florida and Greenwood Lake, along with the hamlet of Pine Island, are together applying for a grant under New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative and New York Forward program.

Mayor Michael Newhard spoke about multi-municipal application during the Warwick Village Board of Trustees meeting on Monday. Newhard said met with Daniel Harter Jr. and Matt Buckley, mayors of Florida and Greenwood Lake, respectively, as well as Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton, to discuss the various needs of each community and present an unified effort to improve chances of receiving the award money.

“We are excited about the idea,” said Newhard, highlighting the uniqueness of each community. “These four different communities and how unique they are individually. The downtown of Florida is different from the downtown of Greenwood Lake, which is different than the downtown of Warwick, and of course the farming community of Pine Island. The idea is to bolster those identities to create a greater, stronger Warwick.”

Newhard noted the award would be a “shot in the arm for the entire town” and shared some of his hopes for building greater connectivity between communities.

“Think of being able to go on a bus and go to Greenwood Lake for a day from Warwick or Florida,” Newhard said of one possible initiative that could be launched with the help of the grant.

In other business

During Monday’s meeting, the Board of Trustees spoke of other efforts to strengthen Warwick Village. This includes a combined investment of $292,000 to improve the accessibility of the South Street sidewalk in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In addition, the village is seeking ways to become more energy efficient. Trustee Thomas McKnight invited community members to come and give input at a climate smart initiative meeting to be held at Village Hall on Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m.

The Village Board also reminded residents of the upcoming bulk trash pickup, which will occur on Monday, Aug. 28, for those living on the north side of the railroad tracks and on Tuesday, Sept. 5, for those living south of the tracks.

Trustee Barry Cheney noted that all items must be on the curb by 7 a.m. of the designated day and that more information can be found on the Warwick Village website.