Warwick Valley Development Corporation gives $1.5 million to town

The Warwick Valley Development Corporation, which oversaw the development of the former Mid-Orange Correctional Facility, presented a $1.5 million check to the Town of Warwick at the September 12 Warwick Town Board meeting, marking the final sale of the last parcel of former prison land and concluding a more than 10-year effort to develop the property.

Former Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton, who was joined by fellow Warwick Valley Development Corporation members, President Robert Krahulik, and Warwick Village Mayor Michael Newhard, provided an overview of the closure of the prison, which was shuttered in 2021 and led to the loss of more than 400 jobs. Sweeton shared the concern the town had that the property would be developed in the wrong way and how, thanks to generous donation from a resident, the town was able to purchase a portion of the land to develop the first corporate park for Warwick.

“Over the past 10 years or so we’ve been diligently adding good businesses to that park, and it’s provided tax revenue for the town and local jobs,” said Sweeton, who noted that the town was able to replace almost all the 400 jobs it lost with the closure of the prison.

Sweeton announced that the Warwick Valley Development Corporation concluded the sale of the last parcel in the prison on July 26 before presenting a giant check to the town board. Clarifying that this was just for the photo-op, Sweeton confirmed that the money was already given to the town and would be used for improving parks in the villages of Warwick.

Praising the work of the development corporation, Warwick Town Supervisor Jesse Dwyer acknowledged that the property could have gone in a different direction and thanked them for having the foresight and guts to take the initiative and turn it into what it is today.

Land preservation

Later in the meeting, the board passed a resolution pledging to provide $150,000 each to the villages of Florida, Warwick, and Greenwood Lake for parkland acquisitions or improvements to parks within the town of Warwick, through the fund established with the previously mentioned $1.5 million.

To promote and protect open spaces within the town of Warwick, the board passed two resolutions supporting the funding of the Orange County Land Trust’s purchase of Moraczewski Farm, a 166-acre hay and livestock operation, and Gibraltar Rock, a 136-acre property that the trust intends to convert into a community forest. For the latter, the town has agreed to allocate up to $242,000 from its Community Preservation Fund to assist with the purchase of the property.

Other business

During the meeting Dwyer provided an update on the Wickham Sewer situation, sharing that the town was working with the Department of Environmental Conservation to find a solution while the town awaits funding via grants. The town was approved for a $16 million grant to finance the cost of repairs to the Wickham Sewer District, however, as Dwyer explained, the process of obtaining those funds takes time and the town needs to address the immediate needs of an old system.

Dwyer also updated the public about the addition of a suspension option to the town’s short-term rental code. He shared that the town board and building department wanted another means for addressing violators of the code other than revocation. He added that the town did have to issue a suspension recently for a property that had a large party leading to multiple police agencies being called and the towing of vehicles.