Village will crack down on late requests for facilities

Warwick — Groups wanting to use village parks and facilities take heed: If you don’t get your request in to the Village Board in a timely manner, you just might be without a place to hold your event. Any group or organization wanting to use a park, hang banners, hold a parade or any other function on village property must first request permission from the Village Board. The board usually gives its approval pending insurance coverage. Some groups, though, wait a bit too long to ask, which has gotten under the skin of some trustees and prompted a letter that will go out soon to all groups in the village warning that they may not get what they wish if the request is not received before the actual event. What sparked this action by the board? The opening Sunday of the much anticipated farmer’s market in the South Street parking lot. The farmer’s market, which runs every year from late May through October, has been a major happening in Warwick for several years. Opening day of the market usually coincides with the Winslow Therapeutic Riding Duck Derby, which was the plan again this year. The Chamber of Commerce, however, neglected to get permission from the Village to close the South Street parking lot and use it for the market prior to its opening May 20. The Village Board met on Monday, May 21, and gave the Chamber permission retroactively. That didn’t sit well with Trustee George McManus who voted no on the request. “I think we’ve lost control,” said McManus. “People think we’ll just approve their requests after the fact. I appreciate the letter (being sent by the village) but I won’t approve this after the fact.” Mayor Michael Newhard said he appreciates McManus’s take on this, but said he gave verbal approval to the Chamber prior to the opening with the knowledge that the board would indeed grant permission at the meeting on Monday. “We had their insurance. We just didn’t get their letter in time,” said the mayor. “We could have had a special meeting to approve it, but I didn’t want to do that. If we voted it down, we would have been saying no for the entire season.” Newhard said too many people benefit from the market to do that. Many area farmers are dependent on the market and many residents come to the market to buy fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and honey. The letters requesting use of facilities is not just a formality, Newhard admits. “It is very important to know what is going on where,” he said. “We have to ensure there are no conflicts, spell out the use, and coordinate police coverage. This was just a miscommunication.” There have been two miscommunications like this lately, although not both with the Chamber. It is not common, Newhard stressed. This is actually the first time the farmer’s market failed to get the request to the village on time. What the village would like to see are requests on their agenda two months in advance. For example, this past Monday the board approved the fire department’s request to hold a picnic on Aug. 18, the Empire State AIDS Ride to use the Railroad Green on Aug. 17, and the Warwick Summer Arts Festival to use the Green on July 8. “We would definitely like to get letters way in advance, at least one to two months,” said Newhard. As for the Farmer’s Market last week, a huge crowd of both vendors and shoppers packed the parking lot to buy their veggies and participate in the Duck Derby. “It would have impacted many innocent people if we didn’t give them the verbal okay,” said Newhard. “I felt it would have been unjust to punish them and hurt their businesses. It was a beautiful day, a day that really spoke of Warwick.”