Living in Dryden

2006 and 2007 Community Center funds distributed

The Dryden Town Board made a substantial contribution to community centers last week, finally distributing $37,750 in funds from the 2006 and 2007 budgets. Some of the 2006 money had already gone to centers piecemeal, but this was the first time that the formal application process really came through to numbers, with grants made toward specific projects. None of the community centers got everything they asked for on the infrastructure and capacity development grants, but all of them got something - including the Dryden Community Cafe, which only came into existence recently.

Town Board members David Makar and Steve Stelick oversaw the application process, though it sounded at the meeting like Makar was the one who went through the applications and proposed the distribution.

The most controversial proposal came from Varna, for a walk-in cooler and freezer that's part of their long-term proposal to become an emergency shelter. The Town Board had talked about creating a town-wide disaster plan when Varna asked about a generator last August, but it doesn't seem like anything's come of it. The application specified that freezers were an option for infrastructure, but it doesn't sound like the Board had this huge an installation in mind. (I spoke about the many recreation-related items I'd found while cleaning out the existing Varna freezer last year.)

There were also questions about commercial tenants, especially in Varna, where they rent out their kitchen. It seems pretty clear, though, that all of the community centers rely on commercial tenants, from the Post Office in Etna to the childcare in Ellis Hollow (and I think Bethel Grove).

In the end, the mix of grants Makar proposed was approved unanimously. He writes that:

Among the projects this money will fund are signs, grills, lights, and hedges for Ellis Hollow Community Center; programming expenses and heating repair at Etna Community Center; building upgrades and programs for youth and adults at Varna Community Center. The board also approved monies for fence repair at Ellis Hollow Community Center; a portion of a freezer that is part of the emergency shelter plan at Varna Community Center; the repair and replacement of the roof at Etna's Houtz Hall, and foundation repair at Bethel Grove Community Center. All of the grants are one-time outlays of existing funds.

The board also approved half of the money requested by the Dryden Community Cafe, taking $3019 out of contingency rather than spending funds that had been budgeted with the four existing centers in mind.