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Town of Warwick celebrates $2.7M transit center

| 10 Aug 2017 | 11:58
    Photo by Roger Gavan On hand to cut the ribbon for the new Town of Warwick Transit Center was Steve Neuhaus, county executive; Karl Brabenec, assemblyman; Barry Cheney, county legislator; Jason Pitingaro of the design team at KC Engineering; CEO Alan Zuckerman of Verticon Construction; Doug McNevin of HAKS who spearheaded the construction management; Dean Diorio of the Hudson Valley Building & Construction Trades; Warwick DPW Commissioner Jeff Feagles; Wallkill DPW Commissioner Lou Ingrassia; Michael Johndrow and Mechelle Casciotta of the Warwick Chamber of Commerce; and Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard. Here, Transportation Manager Jennifer Crover, center, cuts the ribbon.
    Photo by Roger Gavan On hand to cut the ribbon for the new Town of Warwick Transit Center was Steve Neuhaus, county executive; Karl Brabenec, assemblyman; Barry Cheney, county legislator; Jason Pitingaro of the design team at KC Engineering; CEO Alan Zuckerman of Verticon Construction; Doug McNevin of HAKS who spearheaded the construction management; Dean Diorio of the Hudson Valley Building & Construction Trades; Warwick DPW Commissioner Jeff Feagles; Wallkill DPW Commissioner Lou Ingrassia; Michael Johndrow and Mechelle Casciotta of the Warwick Chamber of Commerce; and Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard. Here, Transportation Manager Jennifer Crover, center, cuts the ribbon.

WARWICK — Former Congresswoman Sue Kelly, R-19, who served until 2006, obtained a federal grant for the Town of Warwick to build a new facility for its growing bus system. However, little did she know that it would take many years to secure additional funding while maneuvering through the federal process.
Supervisor Michael Sweeton and the Warwick Town Board were committed to providing essential transportation services to Warwick residents, especially senior citizens.
Perseverance, hard work and buy-in from Orange County officials have finally provided a facility that Sweeton explained will anchor not only the Warwick system but also provide the building blocks for the future of transportation in Orange County.
The $2.7 million dollar project to house a growing fleet of 12 buses was 90 percent funded by federal transportation capital funds.
On Monday, Aug. 7, state, county, local officials and members of the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce joined Sweeton, Transit Manager Jennifer Crover, representatives of the construction firm, the trades union and members of the Department of Public Works to celebrate the occasion with a ribbon cutting.
"This facility," said Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, "was designed and constructed by Orange County firms using Orange County trades labor under a project labor agreement which saved over $250,000 on construction while ensuring that money spent was returned to our county. This is the way projects should be done, and I congratulate the Town of Warwick."
Sweeton commented, "This building will allow us to continue to provide a means for the hundreds of riders that depend on us to reach essential services like medical providers, food stores and other shopping needs. I thank the county and the Town Board for their support, but most of all I thank the staff, drivers and dispatchers of the Warwick Transit System".
The Town of Warwick has one of the most robust Dial A Bus programs in the county, and the new Transit Center is expected to provide more capabilities to improve and expand its transit service as well as assist neighboring communities.
Storing busses inside will also improve the lifespan of the buses.
The current system operates seven days a week and offers local service throughout the entire Town of Warwick, including all its villages, along with a fixed run service in the Village of Warwick.
There is also Dial A Bus service to Goshen, Middletown and Monroe/Harriman, as well as connecting to the Wallkill service to go to other areas in Middletown.
"I am honored to be a part of this great town and to be supervising a great team of drivers and dispatchers," said Transit Manager Jennifer Crover. "I want to thank the Town Board of Warwick for their dedication to this program and to all the agencies that were involved with the construction of the Warwick Transit Center."
The service fare is $2. Seniors over 60 and the disabled pay $1. For schedules and additional information, call (845) 986-2877. Go to www.warwickadvertiser.com to see a photo of the ribbon cutting.