OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER: Tow n of War w ick Village of Warwick Warwick Valley Central School District Village of Florida Florida Union Free School District Florida Public Library Albert Wisner Public Library Warwick Fire District Florida Fire District Pine Island Fire District VOLUME 120, NUMBER 28 WARWICK, NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2004 50¢ Patrick Colman’s Horse is the ‘Talk of the Town’ Warwick’s Patrick Colman practices his Santa Claus “Ho, Ho, Ho” behind the horse “Jimmie” he built from salvaged materials at his village home on Fairview Drive. Story on page 7 Chanukah Begins in Village with Prayers & Menorah Lighting Holiday Window By Lon Tytell Shopping Contest Despite a misty night, many people attended the annual Menorah lighting ceremony, which has been hosted in Warwick for many years by Moshe and Doris Schwartzberg. Under a canopy offering protection from the rain, Moshe read the traditional Jewish prayers in both Hebrew and English, & before the Menorah was lit at Lewis Park for the first night of Chanukah on Tues., Dec. 7. The audience listened as Moshe retold the story of Warwick Holiday why Chanukah is celebrated for eight days. Many years ago, the Jewish people who had reclaimed the temple back Shopping from the Syrians, found oil which was supposed to last for only one day. This oil was used to light the Menorah in the temple and lasted for eight days. Solutions and Rabbi Meir Borenstein of the Chabad Center of Orange County supplied kosher doughnuts and latkes for everyone to enjoy. Doris and Moshe heated the latkes A Blessing - Rabbi Meir Borenstein who supplied the deli- Guide which were quite delicious, especially on the chilly night. cious food, wished everyone present a Happy Chanukah. Entered As Second Class Matter - Page 14 Warwick, N.Y.10990 Publication No.666800 2 WARWICK VALLEY DISPATCH, DECEMBER 15, 2004 Town Board Honors Seymour Gordon SUPERVISOR’S By Nancy Owen the Warwick Valley High School and an award winner her- self, Gordon is largely responsible for the continuing FFA CORNER Prior to the regular Warwick Town Board meeting on program. By Michael P. Swe e ton Thurs., Dec. 9, Seymour Gordon was presented with a Three of Colgan’s students, among them Steven Warwick Town Supervisor plaque honoring his work on behalf of the farmers and DeBuck, spoke about the effects of the program on their preserving farmland through a Town Purchase of futures. At the time Colgan was appointed to lead the pro- www.townofwarwick.org Development Rights (PDR) program. gram, there were only 48 participating students and she was Councilman Leonard DeBuck described Gordon, as "a told it was a one-year job. Now, after more than 10 years, she For Town information log onto visionary who never gave up," despite the many obstacles says she has over 100 students and it grows annually. www.townofwarwick.org or tune to Cablevision placed in his path. DeBuck, Art Lockhard, Judy Wilbur, The room was packed with well-wishers, and people Municipal Channel 12. John Arbo and James McLoughlin were applauded by who had worked with Gordon to achieve the goal. Gordon for working diligently by his side for two years to Everyone joined him for refreshments in the lobby of Town It was heartwarming to see a packed Town attain the goal. Hall. The "party" continued even after Sweeton called the Hall to honor "The Spirit of PDR" Seymour Supervisor Michael Sweeton made the presentation to regular meeting to order. Gordon. Friends, farmers, students, Village and Gordon and his wife, Shirley. She Town residents packed the room in tribute to a "kept him steady" when there were man who has single handedly made the PDR pro- times of frustration and helped gram work, preserving potentially over 2,000 acres. him maintain the focus on the I encourage all residents to stop by Town Hall to goal. Everyone had some stories to view the beautiful plaque that now and forever will tell, but probably the one that hang in Seymour’s honor. exemplified Gordon’s positive atti- tude was the one told by Lockhard. Congratulations also to Mayor Newhard and "When I looked at the applica- the Village Trustees for so quickly arranging for tion forms for Federal PDR funds I new holiday decorations through donations at no thought no one will apply for this," cost to the taxpayers. These beautiful wreaths add said Lockhard. "It’s too difficult the finishing touch to a spectacular Village and a and for such a small amount of great shopping experience. money, but Seymour looked at it and said, ‘Because it’s so much The next regular meeting of the Town Board work we should be able to get a lot will be held on Thurs., Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the of money.’ " Warwick Town Hall, 132 Kings Highway. Gordon’s dedication to agri- culture has many facets. Gordon, who retired as treasurer of the FFA programs at the age of 80, said he wants to see Warwick continue to Legislation Would grow their own food, while con- trolling school taxes. According to Supervisor Michael Sweeton presents a replica of the plaque on display in Town Increase Minimum Nancy Colgan, the FFA teacher at Hall to Seymour Gordon while Gordon's wife, Shirley, and Councilman Leonard DeBuck look on. Wage On Mon., Dec. 6, the New York State Senate re-passed legislation, which Senator Thomas Morahan sponsors, to School Tax Exemption Urged for Seniors override Governor Pataki’s veto to raise New York's mini- mum wage. As a result, the minimum wage in New York By Nancy Owen would help offset the tax liability on residents. State will be raised to $7.15 per hour from the existing •Appoint a non-partisan oversight committee that $5.15 level. The law will establish a state minimum wage of Exemption of all citizens over the age of 62 without would work with state legislators in representing our $6 per hour on Jan. 1, 2005; $6.75 per hour on Jan. 1, 2006; school-age children from school taxes, subject to income school systems and have a more pro-active relationship and $7.15 per hour on Jan. 1, 2007. Food service workers and residency requirements, was proposed to the Warwick with legislators. This committee would evaluate and assist who routinely collect tips when rendering services would Town Board at its regularly scheduled meeting on Thurs., the school systems in streamlining the budget process, look also receive proportionate increases in the sub-minimum Dec.9. for ways of leveraging state support and investigate other wage, known as the tip wage. Under the legislation, the tip The proposal was one of the recommendations of the means of income generation. minimum wage for these employees would be raised from Warwick Partnership for a Quality Community (WPQC), •Support any programs that reduce undue or marked the existing $3.30 level to $3.85 per hour on Jan. 1, 2005; part of a 40 page report presented to the Board by Peter increase in student population. The planning process $4.35 per hour on Jan. 1, 2006; and $4.60 per hour on Jan. Groenendaal. The exemption would keep more seniors in should consider long-term capital impact of student pop- 1, 2007. their present homes, thus preventing the homes from being ulation growth trends. "Clearly, the time to act on this legislation is now," sold to families who would bring in more school-age chil- •The PDR program should continue to be supported said Senator Morahan. "We cannot wait for the federal gov- dren. through ongoing marketing, administration, and management. ernment to take action and give New Yorkers a better •Other recommendations included: •A rigorous strategy should be employed to protect opportunity to earn a livable wage. The cost of living in the •Improve the existing zoning code by adding permitted sensitive and valuable resources. Empire State is more expensive than any other state in the uses in the local Business Districts. With this being said, Groenendaal asked the Board to Nation, therefore it makes sense to pass this important leg- •Improve the application process for small business take immediate action on the recommendations and where islation." and thereby make it easy for existing businesses to expand appropriate, move forward to reverse the trend of increas- The Assembly also voted to override the previously and attract new business to the Town. These two changes ing school taxes. vetoed legislation. Optimize Your Health separates • dresses • lingerie • accessories through mind, body and spirit Achieve optimal wellness through the devel- opment of physical, emotional, psychological and behavioral health. december hours monfri sat sun closed sun dec th & mon dec th The Source jockey hollow road warwick ny of the Healing Arts 14 West Street,Warwick, NY 10990 • 845-986-1179 WARWICK VALLEY DISPATCH, DECEMBER 15, 2004 3 Village Gets Grant for Wawayanda Creek Walkway Study By Eileen Patterson contractor was writing to request a change to the project, Committee, The Village of Warwick Merchant’s Guild, The which would involve using Belgian Block instead of con- Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce, Provident Bank The Village of Warwick regular Board meeting began crete for the new curbing. and a private donation. The Village was writing a check for on Mon., Dec. 6 with an announcement from Mayor The change will not involve any additional cost and the payment after first being provided funding from those Newhard - that the Village has been granted $7,000 for a will allow for a timely completion of the project. The organizations; no taxpayer funds were spent.