Harckham Announces State Money to Be Used for Local Municipal Projects
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Municipalities in the 40th state Senate District are sharing more than $2 million in state money for capital projects in their communities, state Sen. Peter Harckham (D-Lewisboro) announced last Friday.
Representatives from eight of the communities gathered last Friday at Chilmark Park in Briarcliff Manor, which will be the site of an additional four to six pickleball courts that will be built with the village’s portion of the money.
Each of the district’s 21 municipalities receives $100,000 most years while Putnam County is slated to receive $200,000, courtesy of the state Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology Program (CREST), Harckham said.
Typically, the money is for capital projects, such as playgrounds, park improvements and vehicles, he said.
“We’re excited to be in a position to help, and with that I think it’s really more about what the municipalities are doing, and I’m eager to hear the work they’ve done and what things they’re looking forward to doing with this grant funding,” Harckham said.
In 2021, Briarcliff Manor converted two of Chilmark Park’s tennis courts into six pickleball courts, said Mayor Steven Vescio. The sport has been so popular that the existing courts are often in use, so the village will create additional courts in an adjacent area, he said.
“These sorts of things are critical for the quality of life for our residents,” Vescio said. “The $100,000 we received are going to be invested right here at Chilmark Park, which is a park that we’ve been working on over the past few years to revitalize and improve, and these funds will go towards creating additional pickleball courts here, which as you can see behind you, are completely full.”
Several other supervisors and mayors on hand last week for Harckham’s announcement mentioned that they also planned to put their share of this year’s money toward parks and recreation improvements. Ossining Supervisor Liz Feldman said the town’s ongoing upgrades at Louis Engel Waterfront Park, one of the most popular areas in town, would include a new stage to offer more entertainment choices.
The Village of Buchanan plans to use the money to make upgrades to its pavilion, said Mayor Theresa Knickerbocker. while the Town of New Castle will work on the roads and parking areas at Gedney Park, which will improve access to the facility, Supervisor Victoria Tipp explained.
“This is a park that has a wonderful playground, it’s got multiple athletic fields and wonderful hiking trails, and an unofficial sledding hill for the kids when it snows,” Tipp said.
Croton-on-Hudson Deputy Mayor Len Simon said the village will put the money toward the purchase of a new dump truck for the Department of Public Works.
“The money from the CREST funds will enable us to allocate more resources to additional infrastructure needs and other community services,” Simon said.
Putnam County announced that it will use its money to make the bathrooms in the county office building ADA accessible.
Harckham said it is the responsibility of state legislators to assist their communities whenever they can, particularly to make quality-of-life improvements.
“They’re working, they’re striving to keep their taxes down for their residents and still enhance the quality of life, and we’re glad we can help with this $2.3 million in funding,” Harckham 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/
