Grace Exudes Optimism for Yorktown’s Future in Address
Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace delivered an optimistic message about Yorktown’s future during his first State of the Town Address at Town Hall Thursday night.
Speaking in front of about 90 fellow elected officials, employees and residents, Grace, who is seeking a fourth two-year term in November, touted his administration’s accomplishments and the many projects and plans in the works.
“We’re on the cusp of real change,” Grace said. “The town is about to awaken from a very long slumber. The Town of Yorktown is strong, healthy and moving toward a very strong future.”
Grace, an attorney who provided legal counsel to the town’s boards for more than 16 years from 1987 to 2003 and then ousted Susan Siegel in 2011 to become supervisor, maintained Yorktown was on solid financial footing, having increased the town’s fund balance and saved $4 million over the last five years by changing to a new garbage hauler.
While praising the work of all department heads and town employees, Grace made a point to single out the Yorktown Police Department and Chief Robert Noble.
“One of the things this town has to be most proud of is its Police Department. They’re worth every penny,” said Grace, who also noted Yorktown was recently voted one of the Top 20 Safest Towns in New York State. “We have a chief who is second to none.”
The Republican also said Yorktown was “on track this year to make good” on his promise to relocate the town’s highway garage from Front Street to Greenwood Street and replace the garage on Front Street with a multi-use Depot Square facility that will include a Pines Bridge Monument. Nearby Railroad Park is also slated to be restored this year.
“It’s a gem and we will get it done in 2017,” Grace said of Railroad Park, which has received a $295,762 grant from New York State. Grace said Yorktown has also received more than $1.1 million in grants for the highway garage project and could receive an additional $2 million from the sale of the Front Street property it owns.
“The project, hopefully soon, will become a reality,” Grace remarked.
On tap for “no later than spring 2018,” according to Grace, is the construction of two all-purpose fields and one 90-foot baseball diamond on the Granite Knolls property on Stony Street.
“The state of our town is strong and our future is bright,” Grace said near the conclusion of his more than 90-minute address. “I’m profoundly optimistic about our future.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
