Warwick resident celebrates newly-earned citizenship at town board meeting

Town Board Supervisor Jesse Dwyer announced a special proclamation of citizenship at the March 12 board meeting, celebrating Warwick resident Camila Mamani Escobar.

Escobar, who was joined by her husband and children, is a healthcare professional who came to Warwick in 2019 on her path to citizenship. She took her oath of citizenship in February, and was celebrated by the board for her accomplishment.

Swim passes available April 1

In the reports from the department heads, the department of recreation announced that residents will be able to purchase swim passes for the Mountain Lake Park pool on April 1. Active duty military get free swim passes to Mountain Lake Park, while veterans and volunteer first responders get a 50-percent-off discount. In addition, residents can now purchase swim lessons online rather than in person.

Residents challenge planning board decision

An Article 78 proceeding was filed against the Town of Warwick Planning Board. Multiple residents took a stand against the conversion of the formal NYU Environmental Sciences College on Old Forge Road into a residential college. The project had received approval two years ago from the planning board, but concerned individuals who lived near the project challenged the board’s decision.

Supervisor Dwyer stated that the Supreme Court of Orange County upheld the planning board’s decision. Supreme Court Judge Timothy P. McElduff, Jr. stated his support for the board’s work, saying, “In essence, the planning board put this project under more scrutiny than perhaps what the applicant was legally required to undergo, but the applicant complied, and the planning board reviewed.”

The official ruling supporting the board’s decision stated, “In any event, the petitioner’s environmental concerns are not supported by any factual or expert evidence, and are based only on their conjecture as to how the project may impact the park. Generalized community objections are insufficient to challenge an environmental review that is based on empirical data and analysis, such as this one here.”

Grant for records transfer

Town Clerk Eileen Astorino announced that her and Supervisor Dwyer have submitted a grant that will help transfer the town’s records fully online. According to Clerk Astorino, the process would, “throw us into the future because we would be able to hopefully get our records available to the public and skip over FOIL requests, because you’d be able to access it right off of our website.”

“As part of the Town Board’s goal of creating transparency, we want to make accessible to the public all of the contracts, all of the agreements and pretty much everything we have as far as paper records,” said Supervisor Dwyer.

Councilman Russ Kowal mentioned how he is still working on the battery storage ordinance, but that they do not have anything to present yet.

“I think we’re making good progress on it. I think we’ll have something maybe by mid-spring, early spring for the board to review,” said Councilman Kowal.