Regarding this grant: coldspringny.gov/Pages/ColdSpringNY_Trustees/cfa_application.pdf Im worried here. This $75,000 grant is to help us put our own village plans in place, and its EXACTLY the kind of grant that other towns are making use of. Its to help implement all the hard work our citizens (including all the candidates for trustee, I believe) put into crafting the various plans for our town and waterfront revitalization. I can understand why citizens might think this is part of a larger plot: it was presented by the PCN&R as some pet project reflecting Stephanie Hawkins and Matt Franciscos weird obsession with electric car parking spaces. Stephanie Hawkins and Matt Francisco have no such obsession. Matt Franciscos job involves corporate construction in the private sector, and Stephanie Hawkins brokers deals at a large, mainstream publisher (not Random House, by the way!). They are pro-village in every way, both in quality of life and robustness of our economy. Their actual records will show that. Absolutely, no doubt, environmental sustainability is a strong plank of many urban and community plans. It also reflects our own Comprehensive Plan, particularly since greenness goes hand in hand with other forms of prosperity for our village. Emphasis on public transportation means less congestion and more tourists walking up our Main Street from the train. Efficient materials and technologies are better for the bottom line. LED lights use a fraction of the electricity of conventional lights, with just as much brightness, and simple forms of insulation can save our town thousands of dollars on oil bills. A walkable, livable town allows the potential 240 (!) new residents to walk instead of using their cars for everything. Im not trying to change the minds of people who believe there is a plan to rob citizens of their personal rights: I, too, have believed a few conspiracy theories in my day, and some of them have been right! But this, to me, is not one of them AT ALL. This is the kind of straightforward grant that helps us join the ranks of other river cities and towns that are thriving, because they are finding ways to implement their own Comprehensive Plans.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 03:30:35 +0000
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