Youth counselor-in-training program returns

The village of Warwick is bringing back a counselor-in-training program to prepare younger community members for future roles as counselors in the village’s summer recreation program. During the February 18 Warwick Village Board meeting, Trustee Carly Foster explained that the program will provide training and volunteer hours for children ages 12 to 14, and that interested children would be chosen through interviews; more information will be made available soon.

Art project

At the meeting, Nicole Hixon, whom the board had previously announced would be kicking off the village’s artist-in-residence program, spoke with the board about her planned art installation and the support she would need to bring it to fruition. She shared her hope to use one of the large tree stumps at Stanley Deming Park as an anchor for her project and desire to engage students, seniors, and other members of the community in the development of the piece, which would incorporate natural elements. Hixon and the board discussed the importance of working with village DPW and the financial support needed for the project. Mayor Michael Newhard explained that because the village was at the end of its fiscal year, it was limited in how much monetary support it could provide, but said that the village could probably offer $1,500 to support the project. He added that going forward the village would want to revisit the artist-in-residency program for next year’s budget to see how it can be expanded.

Warwick Commons

During the meeting, the board shared its proposed street name for Warwick Commons. The names chosen, Logan and Stewart, come from two beloved African American families in the community, Newhard shared.

Other business

The village is progressing toward a more digitized records management system, as work to inventory all paper records continues. Warwick Village Clerk Raina Abramson shared that, with the help of a grant from the state, since 2023, the village has been working to inventory and prepare all paper records. She explained that the village is applying for another grant to support their efforts to digitize approximately 265,000 documents and purchase an electronic content management system. This would enable the village to make records available to the public on its website.