Village Board confirms dedication of missed streets

The Village of Warwick’s lead service line inventory project revealed that four village streets were not receiving funding from the New York State Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) because they were not recognized as dedicated streets.

Trustee Barry Cheney said that when his team was looking at developments that were built after 1986, Beth Court, Laura Lane, Melissa Court and Rachel Drive could not be found, even though he knew those streets were completed after that time.

During the Aug. 18 Warwick Village Board meeting, the board confirmed the dedication of the four streets via a resolution, which noted that the board had accepted dedication of these streets on July 14, 1999 and recorded them in the Orange County Clerk’s Office on Sept. 29, 2008. With this action, the village requested that the roadways be added to the state Department of Transportation’s (DOT) street inventory used to determine CHIPS funding.

According to the DOT website, CHIPS was established by the New York State Legislature in 1981. Apportionments to municipalities for CHIPS are calculated annually via a formula specified by the State Highway Law.

The board also approved the hiring of a new company to complete the village records inventory and planning project. Barbara Warren of Warren Records Management was selected to complete the work for the Building and Planning Department, Department of Public Works Water Department and Assessor’s Office at a cost not to exceed $15,800. Warwick Village Clerk Raina Abramson explained that the previous individual providing inventory and planning services became ill and that she was very excited to work with the Warren Records Management team.

“I feel really grateful that we get to use them and gain their knowledge on our path forward with making sure that we reach that ultimate goal of digitizing everything and having disaster recovery plans,” Abramson said.

Residents and visitors alike will soon be able to join new recreational opportunities in the village as Trustee Carly Foster reported that the new bicycle pump track near the Albert Wisner Library is complete and the nearby skate park is expected to be finished in October. She added that work on kayak launches around the village is also underway, with one on Orchard Street and two more planned in the village in the downtown area and Veterans Memorial Park.