by Carlo Pellegrini
Dear Mayor Kavesh:
At the August 31 Chamber of Commerce/Friends of The Nyacks sponsored candidates forum, the matter of an $11 million grant from the federal government to alleviate parking congestion being rejected by the Village of Nyack was brought to our attention. As I am sure you can understand, some of our members were left with the impression that in your capacity as mayor you led the effort to reject these funds.
Considering that parking is consistently one of the most contentious issues that face local business owners, shoppers, visitors and residents, you can imagine that some of us are concerned. Did you, in fact, refuse a large federal grant to review the parking situation in Nyack?
At the forum, you stated that the money could only be used for the construction of a parking lot. Could you please share with the Chamber the language in the grant documents that supports that conclusion? From the discussion at the forum, it seems that others who are familiar with the grant had a very different opinion.
I ask these specific questions because we would like to explore the possibility of Nyack reopening this discussion. The economic downturn and the contraction in government budgets on the federal, state and local level suggest that funding for any village improvements are extremely scarce. Please assure us that you will take the necessary steps to determine if this funding is still available, or, that the grant was so restrictive that you were prudent in your decision to reject the funding.
Very Truly Yours,
Carlo Pellegrini
Member-at-Large, Board of Directors
Chamber of Commerce of the Nyacks
See also: The $11M Moment: Nyack Mayoral Candidates Meet, 9/1/2011
