Supervisor’s Update
Warwick. Town is pursing grant funding for sewer systerm repair.
Over the past 18 months, the Town of Warwick has been aggressively pursuing grant funding to repair the aging Wickham Sewer District plant.
Built more than 40 years ago, the plant is not only outdated and well beyond its useful life—it is also in daily violation of state Department of Environmental Conversation regulations due to excessive effluent discharge. Despite numerous repairs in the last five years, a full overhaul is now essential and projected to cost over $12 million. Unfortunately, because Warwick is considered too affluent to qualify for certain infrastructure grants, we needed a creative strategy to improve our eligibility.
To that end, the Town requested an Order on Consent from the DEC. This legally compels us to act on necessary repairs and temporarily adjusts discharge limits, placing the plant in interim compliance. Next, we launched a targeted income survey within the Wickham Sewer District to demonstrate that this specific area has a lower median household income than the town as a whole—making it eligible for funding under different grant criteria. Thanks to an outstanding community effort, we collected income surveys from 60% of the district (well above the 38% required) and successfully met the income threshold.
This success was only possible because of the dedication of our residents and town staff. Volunteers went door-to-door, visiting more than 600 homes and collecting 419 surveys. With both the consent order and verified income data, we are now positioned to apply for several critical grants in the coming month. If successful, these funds will allow us to complete the necessary upgrades without placing the financial burden on local residents.
The town thanks everyone who participated in this vital effort. Your engagement has created our best opportunity yet to secure the funding needed to restore this essential infrastructure.
Coming to Town
Too Good to Toss hosted by Wickham Works on Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1st from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Stanley Deming Basketball Court. On Friday, you may drop off any household item(s) that are in good, clean, working condition with all parts. On Saturday, you may stop by and pick up any items donated. Visit www.wickhamworks.org/tgtt-faqs for more details. To volunteer, email TGTTvolunteercoordinator@gmail.com
Warwick Food Truck Festival, Thursday, June 5 from 4 to 10 p.m. at Mountain Lakes Park, 46 Bowen Road. The festival is a community fundraising event from local nonprofit, Small Things, Inc. Proceeds will help support its mission to share kindness in the Warwick Community. This event will include 20 local food, dessert and craft beverage vendors. Admission is $20 per car load (cash or Venmo) and includes admission and parking fee. Non-perishable food items will also be collected for local food pantries and new kids’ socks for Four Seasons Kids. Bring your chairs and blankets and enjoy a night of food, fun and music! Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome. Visit www.warwickfoodtruckfestival.com for more information or check them out on Facebook and Instagram.
The next regular meeting of the Town Board will be held on Thursday, June 12, at 7 p.m. at Warwick Town Hall, 132 Kings Highway. A public workshop of the Town Board may take place up to 90 minutes prior to the regular scheduled meeting. This meeting will be streamed live on the Town of Warwick’s Facebook page and YouTube channel as well as Channel 21 of your cable box.