Seasonal overnight parking at Deming Park debated

During the Nov. 17 meeting, The Warwick Village Board discussed whether overnight parking should be permitted at Stanley Deming Park. Mayor Michael Newhard explained that the village code does not allow overnight or after-hours parking in any of its parks, with exceptions for special permission granted by the board.

Multiple solutions were debated, including leaving things as is - with an understanding that nearby residents may park in the area and not be ticketed, despite this being prohibited. The other options were to add signage to allow for temporary overnight parking on a first-come, first-serve basis, or to limit overnight parking to permit holders only between Nov. 1 to April 1. The board discussed whether the permitting option would put an added burden on the village.

Trustee Carly Foster spoke in favor of the permitting option, sharing her concern that a first-come, first-serve system could lead to the abuse of Stanley Deming’s parking areas, noting that it is meant for people using the parks. Trustee Mary Collura countered that she felt comfortable letting people use this space when the parks were closed. She also expressed her concern about how the permitting process for spaces would be handled. Trustee Barry Cheney also favored allowing temporary overnight parking without a permit, saying the village could create a permit system for next year.

Despite Collura’s and Cheney’s reservations, the board voted to formalize an exception in the village code to allow for six parking spaces each at Stanley Deming and the Memorial Park Pavilion on McFarland Drive to be used by permit holders from Nov. 1 to April 1 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., for a $105 seasonal fee.

During the meeting, Cheney shared that the New York State Department of Transportation paving project would be slowing for the winter. He added that motorists should expect some impact to their travel near Grand Street in the coming week as waterline work happens with the new booster pump station.

Trustee Thomas McKnight provided an update on the village’s solar project noting that while the system is valued at around $302,000, the cost to the village would be just $6000 - thanks to grants and other incentives.

In other climate-related news, the village accepted a proposal from Barton & Loguidice to assist the village in preparing a Community Climate Assessment and Climate Adaptation Plan.