Millerton to seek $3.2 million grant from NY SWIMS

MILLERTON — The Village Board voted on Wednesday, May 22 to apply for a $3.2 million grant under the NY SWIMS Initiative to fund the pool project at Eddie Collins Memorial Park.

NY SWIMS is a capital grant program that was included in the 2025 New York state budget. The first round of funding for municipal swimming facilities will be available this summer, with applications due in July.

“This grant is for infrastrucure and new pools,” Mayor Jenn Najdek said.

The mayor also noted that NY SWIMS grants require applicants to provide a 20 percent matching contribution towards the overall project cost.

Last summer the Eddie Collins Memorial Park Revitalization Committee presented Phase 2 plans, which call for a pool and a pool house. Construction on Phase 1 —regrading of the park, a new entrance and paved parking areas, a soccer field, accessible playground upgrades, new basketball courts and pavilion improvements—was completed in 2022.

Under the NY SWIMS program, grants are offered to “to acquire, design, construct or reconstruct facilities, provide major renovations, improvements, and modernization or rehabilitation of swimming facilities.”

The former pool at the park was closed in 2016 due to structural issues and high maintenance costs.

Mayor Najdek also introduced Crystal McCarthy and Sebastien Bauer at Wednesday’s meeting. McCarthy is the new part-time recreation director for the Village. Bauer will serve as the Summer Camp director.

The hirings mark the return of a recreation program at the part and a focus on expanding recreational use of the park and the planned six-week Summer Camp represents a return since pre-pandemic summers.

The Summer Camp will run from July 1 to Aug. 9 Monday through Friday.

In other business related to the park, the Board voted to accept a donation from Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley related to providing lighting at Eddie Collins Little League field.

The lighting will be donated by a group of private citizens.

The Board set a public hearing on June 5 at 6 p.m. to amend purchase contract provisions to allow the Village to create a “best value” category in evaluating bids.