New Castle Officials Quarrel on How to Use $250G State Grant
New Castle Town Board members squabbled last week over how to spend a $250,000 State and Municipal Facilities (SAM) grant, with the board split over which recreation project the funds should be used for.
Council members Ivy Pool and Jeremy Saland, who were recently contacted by state Sen. Peter Harckham to inform them the town is being selected for the grant, hope to see it used toward improvements at Millwood Park.
However, Supervisor Robert Greenstein said with $584,000 already having been set aside for the basketball court and inclusive playground behind Town Hall in Chappaqua, the grant would likely help to pay for most of the balance of that expense.
Greenstein said the town could then borrow what it needs to refurbish Millwood Park on Route 100 and use funds from a new proposed cell tower in that hamlet. The tower is expected to receive site plan approval later this year. The town would collect $5,000 a month once the new tower is erected and the maximum four carriers have affixed their equipment on the structure, he said.
Those monthly payments would nearly equal the anticipated $65,000 to $70,000 annual cost of paying back interest and principal on a $1 million bond, said town Comptroller Robert Deary.
“We have another source of funds for Millwood,” Greenstein said. “We don’t necessarily need to use this grant for Millwood because unlike Chappaqua we have a cell tower coming and we’re going to use the funds from the cell tower for the betterment of Millwood. So it seems to me that we’re better off using the grant for Chappaqua.”
Despite the intense debate along party lines at the Aug. 13 Town Board work session and accusations by Greenstein that the board’s three Democrats were looking to capitalize politically on the issue, Saland said last Friday that he believed there is consensus on the board with how to use the money. Pool is running for supervisor while Saland is up for re-election this fall.
He said it wouldn’t make sense for the town to borrow as much as $1 million when there isn’t a formal plan yet to revitalize Millwood Park and without knowing how much money may be needed for that work.
The town should also refrain from committing funds that would be generated by the cell tower before it is built or before officials know when they might start collecting those funds, Saland said.
“We know from Sen. Harckham that it’s his intention to help New Castle the best he can and Millwood, and more specifically, Millwood Park would be a great place to spend those dollars to benefit the community,” Saland said.
Some of the items that could be part of a Millwood Park upgrade are resurfacing of the tennis courts; renovation of the infield of the softball and baseball diamond; installing lights around the field and the tennis courts; adding new playground equipment; expanding the parking lot; and making the path to the park ADA accessible.
Pool said that after Harckham’s office reached out to her and Saland, they contacted Town Administrator Jill Shapiro to come up with a list of potential projects that the grant could fund, including work at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center or toward the potential development of the Chap Line, a proposed pedestrian route extending from near Chappaqua Crossing to downtown.
Despite the disagreement, the board and Recreation and Parks Commission, which had four members attend the work session, did agree that the basketball court and inclusive playground would move forward and that improving Millwood Park is a priority.
“When (Harckham) gives it to us and awards us with these monies, we’ll be very grateful,” Saland said. “It’s a great problem to have.”
Complicating the matter is that the lone bid the town received for the basketball court and inclusive playground near Town Hall was for about $1.2 million, far in excess of what the town hoped to spend.
Greenstein said the town would re-bid the project but that will delay its installation until after next winter, with completion now slated for late next spring or summer.
The delay in finishing the downtown Chappaqua streetscape work has also played a role, he said.
“Because the downtown project is delayed, they’re not ready to vacate the back parking lot (at Town Hall), which is what we need for the basketball court,” Greenstein said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/