Meet Your Boards: CDA in action
This is the most recent video taken by the Citizens Campaign for Open Village Government. A link to see the video can be found at the end of this narrative.
It is a video tape of the most recent meeting of the Patchogue Village Community Development Agency. The CCOVG has begun a series of tapes picturing the various boards of the village that handle other issues not so much in the limelight like those issues governed by the Board of Trustees. The last video that was offered to the public was that of the Planning Board. This video is the 4-4-13 meeting of the CDA Board. Like the Planning Board video presented by the CCOVG before it this video intends to shed some light on what the various boards do, and who is in charge of them with the goal in mind of public information about the inner workings of the village government.
To begin with here is the policy statement of the CDA for reference:
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“The Incorporated Village of Patchogue Community Development Agency (CDA) was established in 1980. It is Federally funded by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The basic purpose of the CDA is to help low to moderate income people. The Patchogue Village CDA is limited to helping those income eligible village residents.
The mission of the Village of Patchogue Community Development Agency is to provide a suitable living environment and viable community for all Village residents. Through the development of community improvement projects its hope is to provide safe, decent and sanitary housing conditions for very low-income families.
The CDA meets on the 1st Thursday of each month at 7:00pm at the Patchogue Village board room. The public is invited.”
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Watching the video however a viewer will learn that the CDA is involved in much more than housing. During this session discussions of public art, infrastructure projects to boost the appearance of the village, graffiti of murals, plans for a village mural project, a new large scale project to direct traffic to parking and concerns about aiding storm victims among other subjects discussed at the meeting.
Pictured from left to right: Executive Director Marion Russo, Trustee Joe Keyes, CDA Board member Toni Dean, acting Chair Donald Wachsmuth, CDA board member Ernest Swinson. Chairperson Elizabeth Marino absent.
Remember video comes with a red time bar so that various sections can be found. Below a directory:
At about 1 minute Marion Russo begins a series of reports starting with a the theater walkway project.
At about 3 minutes a report about the Way finder sign project. This is a new project that will soon adorn the village with directional signs to parking spaces in the hope of reducing confusion as to where parking is to be found in the village speeding traffic and assisting all in finding spaces now in great demand.
At about 10 minutes twenty two seconds first discussion regarding public art in the village and graffiti concerns.
At about 14 minutes thirty two seconds discussion of the current status of the Section 8 program in the village.
At about 18 minutes nine seconds a discussion about the mission statement of the CDA and a variety of issues thereafter.
At about 32:10 seconds public portion and a new discussion about public art in the village during which the long range plan for promoting same is detailed.
Meeting ends after public portion.
Video taken by John Bogack
This Patch article will fade away as the news cycle for the Patch moves along on its cue. To see this video and other related videos and other helpful information about village government please see: Patchoguevillagecitizens.com which is the website for the CCOVG. Tab to “Meeting Videos” to find.
