‘Parking is king’

The Village of Warwick is investing in parking with a proposed purchase of the Chase parking lot on South Street.

During the April 21 Warwick Village Board meeting, trustees approved a proposed contract of $430,000, to be paid for by using funds available in the village’s Parking Lot Reserve Fund.

Mayor Michael Newhard explained that this fund is made possible by all the money fed into the village meters and how it has grown over time to help pay for the purchase of the lot. Newhard also said that state Sen. James Skoufis provided an additional $50,000 to support the purchase.

“It’s a very important park of our parking infrastructure and a very important piece of property in our community,” said Newhard. “Parking is king, as many people know. I’m grateful that we’re moving forward with this.”

Newhard noted the ATM on the property will remain open as the village plans to have a lease agreement with Chase Bank to keep that service operational.

In other business

Alongside investing in parking, the village is championing pedestrian and motorist safety with its Safe Streets For All initiative. During the meeting, the board passed a resolution supporting the project, which the village anticipates funding with $406,167 in federal grant and in-kind services and $101,541 from the village’s general fund.

The village accepted the Warwick Lion’s Club offer to provide the labor and materials necessary for constructing a bicycle pump track at Veterans Memorial Park. Newhard clarified that the village DPW would likely provide some of the site preparation work for the project and that the Lion’s Club would be able to use some of the dirt from the skate park excavation.

The village is implementing a new registration program for it popular summer recreation program. During the meeting the board approved the purchase of SierraLingo’s BeClutch Campr Registration package for $1,450.

Trustee Mary Collura, whom the board credited with finding the service, explained that this new program should alleviate previous frustrations, as it can support offering a sibling discount and other services the prior registration system couldn’t handle.

In other park news, after members of the board expressed concern over the original location proposed for the Wickham Works Stanley-Deming Park During, Wickham Works found a suitable place for the new art piece. Newhard said the organization settled on the side of the park’s restroom building that faces the street.

Residents and other parties interested looking to share their views on what projects the village should invest in can do so during a public hearing on May 15 focusing on the fiscal year 2026 Community Development Block Grant program.