Harckham Delivers State Funding for Park, Fire Safety Improvements in Cortlandt

Peekskill, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced today that $200,000 in state grant funding has been awarded to the Town of Cortlandt to be split evenly for two separate infrastructure improvement projects.

The first project includes the construction of walking trails, completion of site amenities and new landscaping in the Cortlandt Waterfront Park located in the hamlet of Verplanck. Among several Town investments in Verplanck as part of an overall economic development strategy, the park improvements are meant to increase visitors to the park and, in turn, create scaled economic activities there as well.

The second project will complete fire safety improvements to Cortlandt Town Hall in Cortlandt Manor. Included in the improvements are the installation of a non-proprietary fire alarm control panel, pull stations, remote cellular communications, photoelectric smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and mounted horns and strobe lights, plus necessary wiring, conduits and fittings.

The $200,000 state grant is on top of $50,000 of funding Harckham delivered earlier this year for the Town of Cortlandt to purchase a new emergency response/service vehicle.

“Cortlandt Waterfront Park offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities, many involving the Hudson River, so making improvements there makes a lot of sense,” said Harckham. “Similarly, the fire safety upgrades in Town Hall should not have to wait—and that’s why I’m pleased to announce the grant funding for these projects. Residents deserve facilities that are safe and sound.”

The awarded grant funding, which Harckham secured within the State and Municipal Facilities Program (SAM), will reimburse the Town of Cortlandt partly for its total costs of the two projects. SAM funding is among the grant programs administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) to support community and economic development. 

“We are very excited about receiving the SAM grants for our waterfront park and fire safety improvements to Cortlandt Town Hall,” said Cortlandt Town Supervisor Linda D. Puglisi. “We are very appreciative of Senator Peter Harckham's work and efforts for our community projects. The Senator has been a dedicated public servant working for our residents and the Town. Thank you.”

In the past 11 months, Harckham has secured SAM funding for numerous community projects and municipal initiatives in Westchester County, including ballfield renovations at Millwood Recreation Park in the Town of New Castle, a new police car and stop signs in Somers and trail improvements in Peekskill’s Fort Hill Park—saving county taxpayers more than $2.6 million in spending.

State Senator Harckham represents New York's 40th District, which includes the towns of Beekman, Pawling and the village of Pawling in Dutchess County; the towns of Carmel, Patterson and Southeast, and the village of Brewster in Putnam County; and the city of Peekskill, the towns of Cortlandt, Lewisboro, Mount Pleasant, New Castle, North Salem, Pound Ridge, Somers and Yorktown, the town/village of Mount Kisco, and the villages of Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan, Croton-on-Hudson, Pleasantville and Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County. 

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Contact:
Tom Staudter / Office of State Sen Pete Harckham

Staudtersd40@gmail.com
(914) 241-4600 office