Village Seeks Additional Grants to Fund Priorities

by Kathy Savolt -

The latest Comprehensive Plan listed flood mitigation and pedestrian safety as the top two priorities for the Village.  Over the past year, Village staff has aggressively pursued grant funding to help address these issues and that work continues.

At the May 11, 2026 Work Session of the Board of Trustees (BOT), Assistant Manager Dennis Delborgo arrived with an extensive list of grant opportunities (see HERE) for the BOT to review.  The list was so long, they had to postpone the full list to continue the Work Session agenda.

Pedestrian Safety

The Village received a Safe Streets for All planning grant from the Federal Highway Administration in 2024 which will begin later this year.  There is now an opportunity to request a Demonstration Grant that can fund implementation of the plan with such items as pavement markings, signage, traffic counters, and a speed trailer.  The first priority is the Old White Plains Road and Grant Street intersection.

Flood Mitigation

Delborgo’s list contains eight grant opportunities to address flooding.  After being turned down for other grants the Village is still seeking funding to rebuild the Tompkins Avenue bridge. Other opportunities include flood benching, continuing work on the confluence in Columbus Park, drainage improvements in Washingtonville in accordance with the study that is about to be released, beginning work on the Beaver Swamp Brook by addressing the footbridge behind Continental View (the most downstream impediment) and other resiliency efforts.

It Takes Time

Mayor Sharon Torres emphasized how long it takes to actually get projects started.  Once grant funding is awarded, there are many administrative steps that must take place.  Delborgo described the SEQRA environmental review process that is being developed with all parties (State, Army Corps, County) cooperating with the hope that documents can be compiled in order to use the information over and over for separate project SEQRA reviews.  This will save both time and money.

Torres warned, however, that once things get started, there will be disruption, detours and everything else that goes along with construction projects – especially when several are happening at the same time - and she asked that residents be patient.