Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R,C,I - 59th District) announced today that he has officially introduced legislation (S.6061) to designate a stretch of Rt. 20A as "Wyoming County Veterans Highway". The portion to be designated traverses 16 miles between the intersection of Rt. 20A and Rt. 98, in the Hamlet of Varysburg, and the intersection of Rt. 20A and Rt. 246 in the Town of Sheldon.
Gallivan said the genesis of this initiative came from conversations he has had with both individual veterans’ organizations in Wyoming County and with the administration of the Wyoming County Veterans Service Agency, “I meet with Wyoming County’s VFW’s, AMVETS, American Legions, and their auxiliaries regularly, and this was an issue they all identified as one of their priorities,” said Gallivan.
In November, while addressing the audience at the Wyoming County Veteran’s Day Dinner held at the Walter Klein American Legion Post in Warsaw, Gallivan promised the Wyoming County veterans in attendance that this legislation would be the first he introduced during the upcoming legislative session in Albany.
“There is no more important constituency of mine than Western New York’s Veterans and their families,” Senator Gallivan said. “It’s important we always keep them in our thoughts, and I hope a new Memorial Highway will be both a reminder and a tribute to their service.”
William Wilkinson, Deputy Director of Wyoming County’s Veterans Service Agency, indicated his offices strong support for the proposal. “Wyoming County is home to thousands of proud veterans who have served their nation with distinction. I am extremely pleased to see Senator Gallivan is moving this forward on behalf of Wyoming County veterans and look forward to the Memorial Highway’s official dedication."
The bill's introduction is just the first step in the legislative process, but Senator Gallivan says he is “highly optimistic the Wyoming County Veterans Memorial Highway will come to fruition this year.”
The legislation can be found online at http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S6061-2011 [8].
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