Two state grants will fund Lewisboro park improvements

New York state Sen. Pete Harckham delivered $200,000 in Senate grant funding to the town of Lewisboro for improvement projects at Onatru Farm Park and Fox Valley Town Park, the legislator’s office has announced. 

The Senate grant funding consists of two $100,000 grants, one for each park project. The Onatru Farm Park project entails major improvements to the parking lot, including widening the entrance and inside of the parking circle, all complete with new asphalt paving. The park, which hosts numerous arts and athletic events, as well as town festivities, also houses the town’s parks office, the town historian’s office and the facilities maintenance office. The entire project cost is estimated at $124,278. The grant comes from the Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability and Technology Program. 

“Sen. Harckham has been a true partner to Lewisboro and very supportive of our desire to update our parks and recreational facilities,” – Lewisboro Town Supervisor Tony Gonçalves.

For Fox Valley Town Park, the town of Lewisboro will be modernizing the bathroom facility by including ADA access via the adjacent parking and pavilion area, plus installation of a new water disinfection system. A new heating unit will be placed in the facility as well, so it can be used year-round. This project will cost $115,400. The grant comes from the State and Municipal Facilities Program.  

“Sen. Harckham has been a true partner to Lewisboro and very supportive of our desire to update our parks and recreational facilities,” said Lewisboro Town Supervisor Tony Gonçalves. “We are very appreciative of these two grants because our parks receive a great deal of use by residents, and it is vital that the infrastructure of our facilities is safe, ADA compliant and accessible throughout the year.” 

 “At both Onatru Farm Park and Fox Valley Park, two well-loved destinations for Lewisboro residents, this state funding will go toward necessary improvements and also help lessen the tax burden,” said Harckham, adding, “I will continue to help support our municipalities as they transform their parks and playgrounds so that residents have recreational spaces to create meaningful memories without barriers.” Both the CREST and SAM grants were approved by the Senate and administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York to support community and economic development. 

Harckham’s office said the legislator has delivered more than $30 million of state grant funding to municipalities and nonprofits in the 40th Senate District since taking office in 2019.