A big zero for Woodbury!

Diana gives $1M for open space

With less than a week to go before he and the Orange County Legislature face re-election, Republican County Executive Ed Diana doled out more than $1 million in open space preservation grants to the area yesterday.
As some Democrats had expected, this round included $200,000 to help the Town of Chester pay down the $4 million cost of buying Broadview farm last year. Chester is the site of a hard-fought race between Legislator Dimitrios Lambros, R-Sugar Loaf, and Democratic challenger, Noel Spencer, a Chester councilman.
The grant is expected to help the incumbent. Diana had previously denied Chester funding, and the town had considered suing.
"I think the timing's fine," Diana said yesterday. "Everybody knew it was coming before Election Day. It wasn't hidden."
The other grants were:
- $75,000 to the Town of Crawford to help purchase a water supply well.
- $181,900 to the Town of Greenville to purchase the development rights of the Priest farm.
- $109,200 to the Town of Montgomery assist in the purchase of the development rights of Hodgson Farms.
- $436,000 to the Town of Warwick to help purchase the development rights of the Wisner Farm.

Brendan Scott