Cornwall-on-Hudson Mayor James Gagliano, among other local elected officials, was invited to attend the January 23 Civics Fair held at Cornwall High School. Student projects were related to gaps they felt needed to be filled in their communities, which they then researched and offered solutions. Focusing on those projects related to the village, the mayor spoke to many of the students, but found one in particular gave a “great presentation”. After a brief engagement, he gave senior Charlie Hanus the opportunity to take activism and make it into policy.

At last Monday night’s Village Board business meeting of the Board of Trustees, Hanus gave a quick speech outlining why he believes high school students who drive to the riverfront should have the fee waived to park at Donahue Memorial Park.

“Every day students return home from long hours in school to an extensive list of responsibilities,” the Cornwall-on-Hudson resident said. “From sports and clubs to homework and jobs, teens have a lot to juggle. These stressors cannot be removed, but the [village] can do something to help.”

Citing the Hudson River as one of the beautiful features of the village, it offers a location for students to go outside of school and home that’s inexpensive. He said there isn’t much to do in Cornwall, but it would be nice if students could grab something to eat and hang out at the park without having to worry about paying for a parking permit.

“[The river] is also a blue space,” Hanus said. “This term refers to natural areas featuring water in which psychologist Catherine Sanderson found is more effective at relaxing the mind. When people look at bodies of water their brain waves slow down indicating the person is relaxed. A study in the United Kingdom found individuals living near blue space reported higher levels of happiness on average. Providing access to this river could significantly alleviate stress from students worried about college, grades, or simply managing overwhelming daily tasks.”

Hanus continued, adding the river offers numerous benefits to students’ well-being by improving overall health including stress relief, improved mood, longer attention spans, and increased immune health Vitamin D levels. The river calms the mind and is a great refuge for kids.

Already, veterans and senior citizens have the parking permit fee waived and Hanus believes students should as well.

Gagliano said the reason the village charges a fee to park at the riverfront is because there’s a limited number of parking spaces - 76 spaces, four handicapped spaces, and eight boat trailer spaces. Currently, village residents pay $5 while there’s no charge for senior citizens and military personnel. Town residents pay $15, seniors pay $10, and veterans are free. Non-residents may purchase a permit for $50, but seniors pay half that. Those who choose to use the Park Mobile App to park for a day are charged a $20 flat fee, plus an additional service charge.

The mayor opened up the discussion to the board to ask Hanus questions. He was the first to ask how it would work if parents shared a vehicle with their child and it had a free pass. Hanus said the easiest solution would be for students to carry their ID, which is given at the beginning of each school year and displays the student’s name and headshot.

Gagliano also asked if the free pass should apply to students of any age, to which Hanus said it would only be for high school and undergrad students.

Deputy Mayor James Kane offered a hypothetical situation where a student parks a car without a parking permit and a police officer then has to locate the student to check for an ID. Hanus suggested students can place their ID on the dashboard. Police Chief Steven Dixon had no problems with this.

Trustee Bill Braine said he was in favor of issuing one free pass per household with a student who has a license.

Gagliano recommended Hanus take the board comments and submit a proposal which the trustees will then discuss and consider at its next meeting.