Supervisor Bill Reilich and Department of Public Works (DPW) Commissioner Kirk Morris were recognized at Tuesday night’s Greece Town Board Meeting by the Grand View Beach Association (GVBA). GVBA President Greg Pien, Suzanne Albright and several members of the neighborhood association presented Supervisor Reilich and Commissioner Morris with pictures of the sunset over Lake Ontario. The pictures were donated by lakeshore resident and professional photographer Jim Montanus. GVBA President Greg Pien gave a moving speech recognizing all the efforts of Supervisor Reilich, the Greece Town Board and Commissioner Morris and the crews at DPW have put forth to assist water front residents with the recent high water issues.
“I was humbled and honored to receive this beautiful picture from the GVBA”. Said Supervisor Reilich. “As your Supervisor, I could not be more proud of your efforts to step up, stand together, and work together during this time. It is my goal each and every day to advocate for the people I represent, and I will continue to review all possibilities and do everything I can to bring resources and assistance to each of you”.
Supervisor Bill Reilich, the Greece Town Board, and the Greece Parks and Recreation Department today held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the dedication of the Greece Police Athletic League (GPAL) Fields at Badgerow Park South, located at 1120 Latta Road in Greece. A dedication sign was hung on the fence of the first baseball field in the park.
The Greece Police Athletic League is an organization that aims to bring the community and the police department together while allowing police officers in the community to build relationships with the people in the neighborhoods they police. The GPAL was founded by retired Greece Police Chief Gerald Phelan and is now run by his son, Greece Police Chief Patrick Phelan, who has been with the Greece Police Department since 1989. Chief Gerald Phelan's goal was to keep children off of the streets through encouraging them to participate in sports with officers from the department. Since its founding, the program has grown to offer many different sporting leagues, including softball, football, basketball, and boxing. The police officers within the department act as instructors and mentors for the kids, while striving to teach them a new sport or helping them to become more proficient within a sport they currently participate in. The program, which is free of charge and remains the only completely free Police Athletic League (PAL) program within New York State, is intended to be more than simply learning about or playing a sport; it is about building good relationships with police officers in a positive environment and promoting healthy youth activities. In order to raise funds, the GPAL organizes an annual mailing campaign, where they distribute letters asking for donations from the community to keep the program running strong for another year.
Police Athletic League registration is held in late June. Please see below for the 2017 PAL schedule:
Ages:
6, 7 & 8:
10:00am Monday and Wednesday @ Badgerow South Park
First day of play is July 10th, 2017
9 & 10:
1:00pm Monday and Wednesday @ Badgerow South Park
First day of play is July 10th, 2017
11-13:
10:00am Tuesday and Thursday @ Badgerow South Park
First day of play is July 11th, 2017
14-16:
1:00pm Tuesday and Thursday @ Badgerow South Park
First day of play is July 11th, 2017
“The Greece Police Athletic League is a fantastic program that supports positive community involvement with the Greece Police Department”. Said Supervisor Reilich. “I am honored today to dedicate the fields at Badgerow Park South to the GPAL. I am sure these fields will be used for years to come as an environment that encourages police and community engagement”.
Supervisor Bill Reilich, the Greece Town Board, and the Town of Greece will be recognizing the Greece Police Department on Sunday, August 13th, at the Town of Greece Police Recognition and Appreciation Event. This event, which will be hosted at the Greece Town Hall Campus from 2:00pm-4:00pm, will be in conjunction with the last Town of Greece Summer Concert Series featuring country tunes from 90 West Band. There will be chicken BBQ meals available for purchase at the event, and proceeds collected will go towards the Greece Police Athletic League.
Please be aware that if you pass by Greece Town Hall Campus today, our Safety Zone Summer Program will be talking about fire safety and we will have one or two trucks in front of our building.
The Governor has ordered that the flags be lowered to half-staff as we and our entire nation mourn the loss of 16 individuals who were killed when a military refueling aircraft crashed Monday, July 10th, in Jackson, Mississippi. The KC-130 air tanker was carrying members of a marine unit cross country for training when it went down. 15 Marines and a Navy Sailor were killed. Please join us in remembering all those who lost their lives, and praying for their friends and families during this tragedy.
Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich, the Greece Town Board and the Greece Community and Senior Center today hosted the Volunteer Appreciation Day at the Greece Town Hall Campus. The event was held under the Pavilion and included live music and an ice cream social.
“Today we hosted our Town of Greece Volunteer Ice Cream Social under the Pavilion, where we had the opportunity to recognize all those who generously give their time to make a positive impact in the community”. said Supervisor Bill Reilich “Volunteers are absolutely critical to all of the great programs and events we host in Greece. The efforts and support you pour into your community helps make the Greece a wonderful place to live. On behalf of the entire Greece community: Thank You! We truly appreciate your efforts and all you do for the Town of Greece!”
If you are interested in volunteering with the Town of Greece for future events and programs, please contact the Community and Senior Center at 723-2425.
Supervisor Bill Reilich and the Greece Community and Senior Center today hosted the “Beat the Heat Summer Carnival” at the Greece Town Hall Campus. The Beat the Heat Summer Carnival is the second of three Wild Over Water (W.O.W.) Zone special events of the summer. The first event was the Summer Kick-Off, and the third event is the “Dog Days of Summer”, which will be held on Tuesday, August 22nd from 10:00am -1:00pm. For all events, normal splash pad rules apply. For more information regarding summer activities for kids, please call the Community and Senior Center at 723-2425.
There were more than 500 participants at this year’s Beat the Heat Summer Carnival. The carnival, which was free to W.O.W. Zone patrons, had several traditional carnival activities available, including face painting, a dunk tank, and pizza for sale.
“We were thrilled to see so many young residents at this year’s Beat the Heat Summer Carnival”. Said Supervisor Reilich. “It’s great seeing the community enjoy the carnival activities, splash pad, and our new Kids Canyon Playground”.
Supervisor Bill Reilich was joined by the Greece Town Board and the Library Board for the unveiling of the new paludarium display in the Greece Public Library, located at 2 Vince Tofany Boulevard in Greece.
A paludarium is a part aquarium, part terrarium ecosystem composed of such plants as Malaysian driftwood, moss, and orchids. This biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment are becoming popular as a tool to teach biology and earth science. Being the first of its kind in the area, the Greece Public Library’s paludarium features technology that allows it to simulate weather events, including lightning storms, fog and rain. It holds about 350 gallons of water and features a waterfall on each side. The paludarium contains several fascinating specimens, one of the most interesting being the freshwater fish from Lake Malawi in Africa. A unique feature of these fish is that they are mouth brooding, which means that the mother fish protects her young by keeping them in her mouth. The paludarium is an ideal habitat for mouth brooding fish, as the terrarium elements provide hiding spaces for the mother fish.
The library’s new paludarium was previously an aquarium. Most of the fish that were in the aquarium now live in the paludarium, along with some new friends. A few of the larger fish that were in the aquarium – including the fish that visitors to the Greece Public Library affectionally named “Nemo” – have retired to bigger homes at ABC Aquarium.
Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich, the Greece Town Board, and the Library Board will hold a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony TOMORROW, TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2017 AT 4:00pm at the Greece Public Library for the unveiling of the new paludarium display.
WHAT: Supervisor Reilich, the Greece Town Board, and the Library Board hold Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Greece Public Library Paludarium
WHEN: TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2017 at 4:00pm
WHERE: Greece Public Library
2 Vince Tofany Boulevard
Greece, New York 14612
Supervisor Bill Reilich is pleased to announce that the Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence Seaway Flood Relief and Recovery Grant Program Homeowner Recovery Fund Application is now available. At 3:30pm this afternoon, Governor Cuomo came to town and signed the legislation that will help provide financial reimbursement to residents and businesses along the water front who have incurred damages due to the high water levels. Please see a description of the bill below.
Description:
- This bill would establish the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence Seaway Flood Relief and Recovery Grant Program, for small business, farms, owners of multiple dwellings, owners of residences, neighborhood associations, not-for-profit corporations and municipalities, to receive grants for damage as a result of flooding.
- Covers Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, Seneca Lake, the Seneca Rivers, the Oswego River, the Oneida River, Oneida Lake and Cross Lake.
- Small businesses, farms, owners of multiple dwellings, HOAs and not-for-profit organizations ($15M total) (Administered by the NYS Urban Development Corporation).
- Up to $20k per multiple dwelling grant.
- Up to $50k per grant for small biz, farms, HOAs and not-for-profits.
- Owners of residences ($15M total) (Administered by the Affordable Housing Corporation).
- Owners of non-primary residences shall only be eligible with respect to the nonprimary residence if the owner has a qualified gross inform of no greater than $275,000 for the 2016 taxable year.
- Up to 50k per grant.
- Counties, cities, towns, villages and special districts ($15M total) (Administered by the Housing Trust Fund Corporation).
- Up to 1M per grant for flood-related repairs and restoration.
- Up to 500k per grant for flood mitigation.
- The bill would establish a grant program for municipalities and special districts in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties from direct physical flood related damages as a result of a severe storm and flooding that occurred on July 14-15, 2015.
- Not less than $6.8M
- This bill would establish a grant program for municipalities and special districts in Monroe County from direct physical storm related damages as a result of a severe storm that occurred on March 8-9, 2017.
- Not more than 2M
- This bill would establish a program authorizing a taxpayer who has incurred severe damage to his/her primary residence to subtract from his/her Federal AGI, distributions from an eligible retirement plan.
Justification:
This past spring has seen numerous incidents of serious flooding in upstate New York along Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, Seneca Lake, the Seneca River, the Oswego River, the Oneida River, Oneida Lake and Cross Lake.
This bill would establish a grant program to promote recovery from such natural disaster, by allowing much needed financial resources to flow to small businesses, farms, owners of multiple dwellings, owners of residences, not-for-profit corporations and municipalities from the empire state development corporation.
Modeled after a highly successful program implemented after the state-wide flooding in the wake of the Irene and Lee Storms of 2011, this program is hoped to equally provide the important relief to these devastated New Yorkers, who have seen serious flooding damage over the last few months.
Supervisor Reilich wrote letters to the Governor on behalf of all waterfront residents supporting him to sign this legislation, and would like to thank all Greece residents who reached out to the Governor’s office urging him to sign the legislation. The Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence Seaway Flood Relief and Recovery Grant Program Homeowner Recovery Fund Application is available on the Town of Greece Website under the “News” section. Supervisor Reilich would like to encourage all Greece residents who have been affected by the flooding to submit their paperwork as soon as possible.
Application: Application