Warwick preserves 200 acres, secures new APO lot

The town of Warwick announced the acquisition of 200 acres under the town’s Property Development Rights program. According to Supervisor Jesse Dwyer, who shared this news during the August 8 town board meeting, this purchase brings the number of protected acres in Warwick up to about 5,000.

The property, located off Belcher Road, was secured through state grant funding of $1,406,100, along with $605,282 allocated through the town’s Community Preservation Fund. To ensure the CPF maintains a cash supply, the town also plans to issue an $800,000 bond to pay the property owner over a 20-year period, Dwyer explained.

In another move aimed at strengthening the town’s agriculture, the town board amended its zoning code to include a 24-acre parcel of land located at 66 Wheeler Road in the village of Florida. The property, which identifies itself on Facebook as a small-scale, regenerative farm, has been accepted as part of the town of Warwick’s Agricultural Protection Overlay (APO) District, per the request of Patrick Scott and Sohan Dhesi, of 66 Wheeler Road.

Commenting on the process, Supervisor Dwyer shared his appreciation for the steps undertaken to expand the APO district and approve the farm located on Wheeler Road’s request to participate in the district.

“The agricultural protection overlay has certain requirements that parcels of land must oblige by following certain sets of rules and we had a willing participant that wanted to get into the agricultural protection overlay district,” said Dwyer. “It’s very exciting to see that happen from start to finish.”

Affordable housing

During the meeting, the town passed another change to its zoning code, which amends the “Affordable Housing” section to give the planning board more oversight when determining lots for such housing. Supervisor Dwyer explained that subdivisions with more than 10 lots are required to have an affordable lot, and this amendment will give the planning board more authority in determining where that lot should be located.

Park plans

Dwyer reported that the town has begun to re-evaluate its Town Park Master Plan, which will include touring all the town parks and sending out surveys to the community to help Warwick plan for the next 20 to 30 years of the town park system. Dwyer expressed his excitement for the process, noting it would be a lot of work and that the town will rely heavily on the public’s input.

Grants

The Supervisor also announced that the town received a $10,000 grant from the state for the purchase of battery-operated landscaping equipment as part of its Clean Energy Communities Program. The town also received a grant to install potentially four electric vehicle charging stations at Town Hall, Dwyer reported. These stations will be free for town employees and will enable the town to earn up to $400 a month to support needs related to the charging stations.

As previously reported, the town recently received a $1.35 million grant from the New York State Department of Transportation for the replacement of the Jayne Street Bridge in Florida. “The grant award letter doesn’t mean that the bridge is going to be rebuilt tomorrow,” said Dwyer. “This is a multi-year process that takes a lot of time, but rest assured, we’re getting to work on this right away. We’re really excited about this project because we know that it’s been years in the making.”

Other business

The town board approved the appointment of two full-time officers, Curtis Paul and Tyler Morella, to the Warwick Police Department. In addition, the board approved the appointment of Chase Toth as a part-time police dispatcher. During his report, Warwick Police Chief John Rader expressed appreciation for these new hires and shared that the police department has three new, part-time officers, who, once their background processes are complete, will be attending the police academy in September.

In other employment news, the town board approved an agreement with the Civil Service Employee Association Local 1000 AFSCME, AFL-CIO Town of Warwick Unit, Orange County Local 836, dated July 17, 2024, commencing January 1, 2025, for one-year period expiring December 31, 2025.

Dwyer thanked the CSEA for agreeing to a one-year extension to the contract, explaining his being town supervisor for only seven months is not enough to understand the needs of the town’s largest employee unit.