Village looks for planner for Memorial Park

Warwick — As the town and village have grown, there have been many changes to the local parks. What is missing, though, is a plan and a planner. That soon may change. Mayor Michael Newhard said the village will apply for a $10,000 Planning Grant through Orange County to get things moving. “There is no plan for Memorial Park,” said Newhard. “There has been lots of talk to develop one, but we haven’t yet. My sense is to get a planner on board to come up with a comprehensive master plan for the next five years.” Memorial Park has had some major changes. Last year, 12 acres were added as part of the Warwick Grove project. Recently, there have been structural problems with the bleachers at the men’s softball field as well as electrical issues. Newhard said they have restricted use of those bleachers. “We could make repairs or we could reconfigure the field,” said Newhard. “I want to do it with the consensus of the Little League, the veterans and the other groups that use the park. It would be best to get a planner first, who can sort out what needs to be done.” The village could apply for and receive up to $10,000 from this grant. Last year, the village received $7,000 for a feasibility study for a walkway linking areas downtown to Veteran’s Memorial Park and connecting South Street with Forrester Avenue along the Wawayanda Creek corridor.