Taking nothing for granted

Woodbury used $500,000+ in grants and donations last year to cover municipal services, By Bob Quinn Highland Mills - The Town of Woodbury parlayed more than $500,000 in federal, state and country grants as well as business and private contributions in 2010 to improve the energy efficiency of its municipal buildings, replace windows at the Ida Cornell Memorial Branch of the library and to cover the costs of providing police services at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets. According to Supervisor John P. Burke’s report to the town board earlier this month, these grants, contributions and donations totalled $533,524.69. That represents about 3.8 percent of the town’s $14 million budget. Without these revenues, Burke said three things would have happened: The work would not have been done, the cost to taxpayers would have increased and/or town jobs would have been lost. “We’ve been fortunate in Woodbury that we have not had to lay off people,” Burke said in a telephone interview this week. “We haven’t filled positions when someone retires. “If we didn’t have that money it would have affected the taxpayer’s pocketbook,” the supervisor further said, then added that “we would have had to make some heart and soul-searching decisions” about laying people off. O&R grant Burke credited Town Clerk Desiree Potvin, Town Justice David Levinson and the heads of the town’s departments for their expertise and diligence in searching for grant money. “If there’s money out there,” Burke said, “they will find it.” As an example, the town made energy efficiency improvements totaling $27,095.83 to its highway garage, the Central Valley Library branch and town hall. A grant from Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., covered 70 percent of the cost, or slightly more than $19,000. That does not include ongoing energy savings. Burke said the town has consistently benefitted from contributions from the George Cornell Family, which paid for the replacement of windows at the Ida Cornell Memorial branch of the library. In his report to the rest of the town board, Burke projected that the town anticipates $436,742.25 in grants and donations this year. Some of the projects are recurring, like state funding for police services and roadwork. “The Commons also present a unique situation for us,” Burke said, noting that the outlet in Central Valley will reimburse the town $201,027 this year. The outlet, with its 200-plus stores at the intersections of Routes 32, 6 and the Thruway in Central Valley, is one of the region’s top tourist attractions. The $201,027 will be used to cover the town’s costs for police officers, a dispatcher, radios and a police car. Burke also noted that Woodbury Common also contributes to the cost when troopers from the State Police barracks in Monroe assist with traffic control during heavy shopping days. Some funding will not recur. For instance, the Monroe-Woodbury School District will not fund a school resource officer at the high school, a savings to the district of $127,620.34 in salary, FICA, retirement and other benefits. Burke emphasized that this was not negative, but simply a decision school officials made to balance their budget. Some of the funds expected this year will cover the cost of bulletproof vests, funds for state DWI and Buckle Up safety programs, youth programs at the town parks and state and federal money to repair the Estrada Bridge and catch basins damaged in flooding from March 2010. The town also expects to receive $60,000 for a generator for the police department and $376,742.25 for the Park Avenue rehabilitation of Woodbury Creek. By the numbers Here’s how the Town of Woodbury used $533,4524.69 in grants, contributions and donations in 2010: O&R utility grant: $19,011.38 NYSERDA refund: $300 Library: $12,270 Court: $10,724.30 Town clerk: $10,000 Police: $396,046.35 Parks: $2,386.45 Highway: $82,786.21 Total: $533.524.69