New Village Climate Smart Communities Task Force making plans and seeking funding

The Village of Warwick adopted a resolution this week to create the Climate Smart Communities Task Force that will assess how climate change will affect the Village. The task force will also take steps to reduce the Village’s contributions to climate change and to acquire funding for projects addressing it. They will be responsible for documenting climate related actions by the Village, according to Trustee Thomas McKnight.

This task force will be critical to the New York Forward grant application as the Village moves forward in the application process, said Mayor Michael Newhard. This $5 million grant through New York State is related to the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative but for smaller municipalities.

“The DRI is geared to and focused on larger municipalities and small cities throughout New York State. Many have taken advantage of it and have seen projects that really have made a great difference in the local economy and have taken depressed cities and made them shine,” said Newhard.

This year, the Department of State created a second tier that is focused on smaller, rural and historic communities, Newhard said.

“For the past 25 days, we [the Village board] have been trying to get our grant packets together. It’s very intense,” said Newhard.

The $5 million grant can be divided between two municipalities.

“I’m excited because it has been a collaborative work. Trustee Foster, Trustee Cheney and Trustee McKnight have all had some input into this process,” said Newhard. “People might think that the Village is the shining example of downtown revitalization, but post Covid things have changed dramatically. We have more visitors per square inch than ever before.”

Applefest and Children’s Book Festival

The library will be closed for Applefest on October 2, and a Children’s Book Festival on October 8, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m, will be at Stanley Deming Park.