Sweeton to open monthly meeting

Sustainable Warwick will host former Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton as special guest speaker during the organization’s July 16 meeting.

Sweeton served 21 years as the Town of Warwick Supervisor where he oversaw the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program that has permanently preserved 38 farms, almost 5,000 acres of Warwick’s farmland and open space.

“It is hard to imagine a single more important contribution to Warwick’s long-term sustainability than the PDR program, a program that is still growing and is now overseen by Sweeton’s successor, Town Supervisor Jesse Dwyer,” said Sustainable Warwick’s Michael Helme. “The PDR program grew out of the community visioning conducted by Community 2000 in the early 1990’s when the most widely shared hope for Warwick was that a way could be found ‘to preserve Warwick’s rural character’ ... and that was precisely what Supervisor Sweeton did and PDR continues to do.”

Adding to his area legacy, Sweeton now serves as Community Liaison for the Orange County Land Trust, where he provides advice and support to municipalities throughout Orange County and the greater Hudson Valley.

Sweeton will open Sustainable Warwick’s monthly Zoom meeting 7:30 p.m. The Warwick community is invited to join this session.

Email steeringcommittee@sustainablewarwick.org for Zoom invitation information.