'The concerts are not being eliminated'

In response to the letters and comments about the Village Concert series, I want to clarify both the reason for the survey and the discussion by the Village Board when the survey was discussed.

It was a very casual survey - and did not include every business or restaurant in town.

The purpose was to get a sampling of feedback from restaurants in town because I heard negative feedback from both the The Hudson Valley Jazz Festival Coordinator (on behalf of the musicians who would like to work in town), the Chamber of Commerce (on behalf of their members) and one restaurant in town.

The names of those surveyed is not important.

What is important is that the majority of those asked requested an adjustment to concert schedule that includes some Sunday afternoons.

This creates the opportunity for restaurants who would otherwise cancel planned music for Friday or Saturday night to hire local bands to fill their venue.

This also provides an opportunity for the shops in town to benefit from the influx of visitors who come out to hear the music.

And there are residents - seniors and young families - who might prefer a Sunday afternoon concert.

The concerts are not being eliminated - they are an integral thread in the fabric that makes our village a wonderful place to live.

The concerts will not all be on Sunday afternoon.

The suggestion was to change some of the concerts and that is what the Village Board is considering.

The purpose of the survey was to respond to those who were reaching out looking for an objective gathering of information.

Eileen Patterson, trustee
Warwick Village Board