Poloniak, Sweeton honored at town board meeting

The town of Warwick honored long-time senior citizens advocate Vince Poloniak during a special presentation at the town board meeting Thursday, December 14.

After serving several years in the role of senior citizen liaison, Poloniak has decided to resign from the role for which he served as an advocate for seven senior groups in the town.

Among the senior-focused programs Poloniak has worked with is the Friendly Visitor Program, which trains volunteers to help older adults and disabled residents with shopping, doctor’s visits, and social interaction. During Thursday’s meeting, Councilman Floyd DeAngelo reported that the program assisted 30 neighbors in November. In addition, the town board approved the allocation of $5,000 toward an agreement with Jewish Family Services to continue providing training for the program.

Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton honored Poloniak with a plaque to commemorate his service and spoke of Poloniak’s commitment to Warwick’s seniors.

“[Vince] is a gentleman who has been a tremendous asset to the town and the board. We’ve honored him in the past for multiple contributions he’s made to this community,” said Sweeton.

Sweeton himself was also honored during Thursday’s meeting. Representatives of the Warwick Valley Humane Society presented the supervisor with the “Golden Paw Award.”

“I’ve had the privilege of having Councilman Sweeton work with the Humane Society for 21 years. He is always fair and always willing to help us in any way,” said the Society’s president, Suzyn Barron, who presented the award to the supervisor.

During the meeting, Councilman Russ Kowal shared an overview of the success of Mountain Lake Park. He noted that various events, such as the Fuller Moon Arts Festival, scout gatherings, preschool, swim lessons and other programs contributed to the $156,000 in revenue produced by the park. Kowal explained the revenue would be used for renovations and supporting the park’s programs.