During Monday’s combined Workshop/City Council Meeting, where the Council blends two meetings into one night during the summer months (first the brainstorming Workshop meeting, followed by the voting in of some of those items discussed), the Council was presented with recommendations from the City of Beacon’s Parks and Recreation Committee on who to award $20,000 of the City’s Community Investment Program to, a program in its third year.

According to the City Administrator Chris White, half of the Recreation Committee was disinterested in this vetting and voting process, yet did award one of their own committee members 37% of the available funds. To announce the recommendations of which organizations should be awarded during Monday’s July 1st City Council Meeting, the Park and Recreation Director Mark Price, who led the process, was not in attendance. When Mayor Lee Kyriacou mentioned Mark, City Administrator Chris responded: “I think Mark forgot.” Mayor Lee asked if Chris wanted to delay the presentation, to which Chris answered: “No. We were going to award these in April or May, so we are well beyond that. I don't think this is that hard.” Chris then presented the recommendations.

The three recommended organizations were awarded just shy of the total available ($17,550):

• Beacon Repair Cafe, which shares an office with the Recreation Department, received $1,000.

• Green Teen, which shares an office with the Recreation Department at 23 West Center Street, received $9,000.

• Sports Bra Project, run by Recreation Committee Member Sarah Dwyer-Shick, received $7,550.

The Recreation Department’s memo from Recreation Director Mark Price to City Administrator Chris states that it is up to City Council to make the final decision: “Ultimately, we know the decision to which applicants are funded lies in the hands of the Beacon City Council. In a review of all of the applications, we have selected three applicants that we would recommend awarding funding to in 2024. This recommendation, I believe, allows for a diversity of funding across several initiatives.”

City Administrator Chris told the Council that half of the Recreation Committee was disinterested in this vetting and voting process. He stated: “The Council asked that the Recreation Committee vet these applications and come back with recommendations. They did that this year. We did have trouble getting them engaged in this. About half the Committee really was not interested in this task. I do want to let the Council know. People who signed up for Recreation were probably more thinking about how to direct the future of Recreation, rather than a grant program.”

Those who did vote, voted for Committee Member Sarah Dwyer-Shick’s organization, the Sports Bra Project, which received 37% of the grant, totaling $7,550. Sarah herself did not seem to vote, according to the Applicant Log. The Sports Bra Project aims to help girls all over the world receive sports bras.

Listed on the Sport Bra Project’s website is an address of 369 Main Street #1082, Beacon NY 12508, which is the Beacon Post Office. The organization’s summary for what the money would be used for was “storage bins, bras, support and outreach materials.” City Administrator Chris stressed: “Their goal is to facilitate participation for females in sports and physical actives by making accessible sports bras. This [grant] would be for storage containers and the actual bras themselves.”

It was not clear if the organization makes sports bras, or accepts donated sports bras and ships them all over the world. Sarah’s name is also not on the Sports Bra Organization’s website.

Councilperson Paloma Wake asked: “Can you just describe the sports bra project a little bit more? It's not totally clear to me what the program does. Probably helpful for the community to hear how they can access this if it applies to them.”

City Administrator Chris answered: “Their goal is to facilitate participation by females in sports and activities for accessibility.” On the Sports Bra Organization’s website, girls from all over the world are holding bras in pictures.

Councilperson Amber Grant stated: “I will also say that this program was featured in the Highland Currents for their work in Beacon. I just looked them up. I was like: ‘Is this a Beacon based organization?’ And they are. If anyone wants to see the article in the Highland Currents, I'm sure you can Google it.”

The article, which was published in December 2023 and the grant application process opened 2 months later in February 2024, shows Sarah in a photo with storage bins in what the newspaper says is her one-room office in Beacon in a building on Henry Street. There is one office building on Henry Street. The Beacon Post Office, which is listed as the Sports Bra Project’s address, also abuts Henry Street. Mayor Lee Kyriacou also weighed in on the Beaon-ness of the organization, by saying: "I know it's a Beacon-specific organization." Neither Councilperson Amber, nor City Administrator Chris, nor Mayor Lee mentioned at this point, or at any point during the meeting, that the organization they were asking about was founded by Beacon Recreation Committee member Sarah.

City Administrator Chris was eager to end the discussion and move on to vote on it. “We have a proposal that we have a Resolution lined up for you to vote on this. We have $20,000. We didn't quite award the whole thing. I think at this point, our Rec Department needs to move on.”

Who Serves On The Recreation Committee These Days?

Serving on the Recreation Committee are Benjamin Swanson (Executive Assistant for the City of Beacon), Larry Clark, Justin Lynch, Christina Ricottilli, Heidi Kitlas (Executive Director of Soul Ryeders, married to Highlands Current reporter Jeff Simms and hiking buddy of Sarah’s over at Soul Ryeders ), Jim Eve, Hayley Richardson, Sarah Dwyer-Shick (Founder of The Sports Bra Project and DOC of East Fishkill Soccer Club (recreation).

Of this Committee, it was not mentioned who may not have voted at all, which seems to be half of the Committee not voting. From the Recreation Committee’s Applicant Log, not voting were Sarah Dwyer-Shick, Hayley Richardson, Justin Lynch, and Jim Eve. The Applicant Log was included in the Council’s packets, but not read aloud to the public.

How Many Organizations Applied?

City Administrator Chris did not mention how many applicants applied, nor did he name them. Even though they were in the Council’s packet and on the City’s website. Only people who were digging for this information would have to find this on the City’s website and click to download it. Normally, when the Council wants to make sure something is heard, they read it to the public.

City Administrator Chris stated: “We did get enough responses, that Mark Price is recommending that we fund 3 projects.” Eight applications came in total.

Which Organizations Were Denied?

Applicants who were not awarded were organizations heavily invested in Beacon, especially the youth, and included Bannerman Castle Trust, Common Ground Farm, Compass Arts, Land to Learn, and Roll Out Of FBS.

Common Ground was voted for by those in the Committee who voted, but City Administrator Chris said that Beacon’s attorneys deemed Common Ground ineligible because it “benefits people outside of Beacon.” However, Common Ground manages the Beacon Farmer’s Market, which sets up in the heart of Beacon on Main Street each Sunday.

Common Ground’s application stated that the funding would double the food benefits that people with low income use at the Beacon Farmer’s Market. They stated: “Greens4Greens coupons to be redeemed across our markets, doubling the purchasing power of many people who use benefits.”

But, City Administrator Chris added another reason for why Common Ground was denied: “Also, this was just a gift to people.” It is not clear what a “gift” is and why a gift of farm fresh food at the Farmer’s Market landing in the hands of many people wouldn’t count, since storage bins to one person are certainly a gift to anyone, especially ones that can be purchased for $7,550.

Initially, City Administrator Chris did not mention that it was Common Ground which was denied. Councilperson Dan Aymar-Blair asked which one it was. At that point, City Administrator Chris moved to wrap up the discussion.

The Council voted unanimously to award the three organizations that the Recreation Committee recommended.