Town of Warwick purchases parcels to protect water district and parkland

Warwick — No residents attended the public hearing to purchase for a total of $7,500 in back taxes two parcels to protect both the Bellvale Water District and the entrance to Cascade Lake Park. After the hearing closed, the board voted unanimously to proceed with the acquisitions. A one acre parcel will cost the water district $5,000 and a 10.3 acre parcel will cost the park’s fund $1,500. “I think it’s a wise investment protecting the sole water source for the approximately 27 homes served,” said Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton. Bellvale has only one water well and proceeds to pay for the purchase will come from the water district’s users. The proceeds to purchase land for the park will come from a fund supplied by developers who build residential homes in the community. “It’s a good move,” added Councilman and Deputy Supervisor James Gerstner; Councilman Mickey Shuback also agreed, saying that the town “cannot afford not to take advantage of this.” Greenwood Lake draw down “For every inch of rainfall the lake comes up 3 inches,” said Steve Defeo, a lake commissioner and marina owner who attended the regular meeting of the town board on Oct. 27 at Town Hall. The draw down, which started on Oct. 11, began by releasing 80 million gallons of water per day a number that increased to 131 million. “I want to thank the entire board for support, especially Mr. (and retiring Town Councilman Leonard) DeBuck for all of his time and service,” said DeFeo, who hopes to have the complete draw down study done by the beginning of the year. “We should be at five feet by Thanksgiving but by the middle of December for sure,” said DeFeo in response to DeBuck’s question about exposing the bulkhead and swimming area. “Work needs to be done and there is debris there,” said DeBuck about the blanket permit that allows removing up to ten cubic yards of material. During the draw down, the racks of the lake’s two working gates also will be cleaned of collected debris or trash to protect areas downstream. Electronic recycling days The town is holding two days of no-charge recycling for electronics at 66 Public Works Drive. Acceptable items include monitors, televisions, printers, terminals, radios, fax machines, copiers, modems, typewriters, stereos, VCRs, batteries for electronics, CPUs and lap tops. Recycling includes destroying hard drives by shredding them. Major appliances will not be accepted. Businesses that pre-registered by calling 845-858-8809 may recycle their electronics on Friday, Nov. 18 from 1 until 4 p.m. Residents need only show up on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. to participate. Buttermilk Falls Road Bridge The board scheduled a public hearing about a dangerous and unsafe bridge located at 49 Buttermilk Falls Road for Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at Warwick Town Hall, 132 Kings Highway. Residents from the road where the bridge is located complained to the board about the bridge that is located on private property owned by John Silverman of New York City. “We’re not looking for a fancy bridge (rather) we need something that emergency vehicles can go over,” said resident Rocco Testa. Sweeton, who inherited the problem with the bridge when he took office, has gotten the bridge reinstated for federal funding through the Orange County Transportation Council. He said he continues to “look for the solution that people want to agree to.” The project requires matching funds from residents within that improvement district along with an expensive full title search of neighbors’ deeds for easements. In other news The supervisor declared November as pancreatic cancer awareness month in the town. Warwick Town Police responded to 2,165 calls for assistance during September. Here’s the breakdown by location: • Greenwood Lake: 209 (9.6 percent) • Pine Island: 287 (13.2 percent) • Village of Warwick: 760 (35.1 percent) • The rest of the town: 909 (42 percent)