Warwick's vision advances

WARWICK — The Vision document for the Town of Warwick known as "TOGETHER: Building Tomorrow Today" will be officially handed off by Community 2000 to Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton and the mayors of the three villages at a formal gathering at Warwick Town Hall on Tuesday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m.
The visioning process was launched by Community 2000 almost a year ago wound up involving more than 2,000 Warwick residents contributing ideas and energy.
Now those ideas have been distilled down to a 56-page document that not only lists the most widely proposed ideas for Warwick’s future, but also lays out basic implementation strategies for each one.
“In the 1990’s, the town residents looked to the future, created a vision and launched many efforts to achieve that vision," Sweeton said in the press release detailing the process. "This new collaboration by the community will hopefully guide us toward building new successes upon the achievements to date which have made Warwick and its villages such a special place.”
Building on what began in 1993The earlier vision to which the supervisor refers was launched in 1993 and led to several signature accomplishments, including the Warwick Farmers Market, the preservation of farmland and open space among other initiatives.
That effort 25 years ago was also led by Community 2000 and conducted by the same planning consultant, Gianni Longo Associates, that is overseeing the current endeavor.
Current themesWhile the full “TOGETHER: Building Tomorrow Today" document won’t be available until after the public meeting on May 22, certain themes are known:
One is to create a greater sense of cohesiveness among the three villages and the town.
Another is to focus on “connectivity” to attract new businesses and jobs to the area.
Also included in the broad themes were increased recreational opportunities, improvements in regional transportation and commuting, a focus on sidewalks and the vitality of the villages.
After May 22, the vision will be posted online at the Community2gether.org website and print copies will be available at Town Hall, as well as the Village Halls and libraries in each village.
“This vision didn’t come from a consultant or a government body," said Geoff Howard, one of the “TOGETHER” organizers who was also involved in the 1993 visioning. "These ideas come bottom-up, from the community and they won’t be realized without the active involvement of that entire community — government, local businesses, community organizations, farmers and especially residents from every corner of the town.
"Community 2000 invites everyone, whether they were involved in the visioning process to date or not, to attend this important meeting and start to think about how these great ideas can actually happen," Howard added.
Mayor Michael Newhard of the Village of Warwick amplified this theme: "The visioning process has been a way for us as a community to dream of the possibilities of our future. It’s been through this process that village, hamlet and town residents have had an opportunity to describe their hopes and challenges. I believe that we’ve come away with a greater sense of purpose, a better understanding of our uniqueness and most importantly how we can achieve our dreams together."