=== HEADLINE === Snow budget blows past limit as trustees eye grant strategy === SUMMARY === Croton's snow removal budget has been shattered after back-to-back winter storms, with overtime alone roughly tripling its allocation. Trustees also began mapping a grant strategy for 2026, including a potential New York Forward work group and a coming Friends of Croton Parks nonprofit to boost park funding chances. === EXECUTIVE BRIEF === • Village manager reported snow overtime at approximately $200,000 against a $60,000 budget, with salt funds also exhausted • Budget amendment to cover snow costs will be deferred until late March or early April • Board discussed forming a New York Forward grant work group to prepare for an expected October application round • Friends of Croton Parks, sponsored by Westchester Parks Foundation, will soon launch as a nonprofit partner for park grant applications • Public meeting on Gueva Park architectural drawings scheduled for Monday night • Pedestrian bridge assessment recommended as next priority after Half Moon Bay Bridge work concludes === ARTICLE === Croton's snow budget didn't just get a dusting this winter — it got buried. Village officials confirmed at Tuesday's work session that snow removal overtime has hit roughly $200,000 this season against a budgeted $60,000. The salt budget is also tapped out. That's before factoring in the latest blizzard, which dumped about two feet of snow and kept DPW crews working 31 straight hours from Sunday afternoon through Monday night. "Before this storm, we were approximately 200,000 in snow over time," the village manager told the board, responding to a question from a trustee who noted the adopted snow removal budget sat at $164,000 total. "We are certainly not unique. Every community in Westchester is dealing with the same problem." The village manager said he plans to wait until late March or early April to request a budget amendment, preferring to move the money all at once rather than keep coming back to the board. He stressed the village has adequate cash flow thanks to revenues coming in higher than expected — it's a bookkeeping fix, not a crisis. A state of emergency declaration, it turns out, doesn't bring funding. It simply lets the village skip the usual bidding and quoting requirements when renting equipment mid-storm. Federal FEMA money could become available if Westchester County secures a disaster declaration, but that would likely cover broken equipment rather than overtime. One trustee praised the village's storm communications as "excellent" and noted the remarkable job residents and business owners did clearing sidewalks. Another pointed out that while Croton didn't dodge the snow, it dodged power outages, downed trees, and flooding — a small mercy. The board then pivoted to a long presentation from Valerie Monastra of Nelson Pope and Voorhees on 2026 grant opportunities. The takeaway: Croton keeps applying for park grants but keeps getting outscored because of demographics beyond the village's control. The big prize on the horizon is New York Forward, a state downtown revitalization program. Croton applied last year and was rejected, with the state signaling that its multiple "quasi downtowns" didn't fit the program's preference for geographically concentrated projects that catalyze private investment. The board discussed forming a dedicated work group to start preparing for the expected October round rather than scrambling at the last minute. One trustee floated the idea of a youth and senior community center in North Riverside, near the pedestrian bridge, as a potential New York Forward project. Monastra cautioned that the program favors shovel-ready projects with existing plans and cost estimates. There was good news on the park funding front: a Friends of Croton Parks group, sponsored by the Westchester Parks Foundation, is launching soon. That nonprofit partner status — often required by state park grants — has been a missing piece for Croton. The village will also resubmit its Gueva Park application for NY Parks funding in round two. The 30-year-old pedestrian bridge, gifted to the village by the DOT, will need a structural assessment once Half Moon Bay Bridge work wraps up. As for the Picture Tunnel, ownership remains unresolved — but it's lasted a century, so officials are hoping for another 25 years. **What to watch for:** - Gueva Park public meeting: Monday night, where architectural drawings will be shared - Sign up for Everbridge alerts at crotononhudson.org under the Citizen Action Center — only 2,770 of 8,300 residents are enrolled - Snow removal in business districts targeted for completion by Friday - New York Forward work group formation expected in coming weeks