Within the last generation the town has greatly improved its public highways and bridges. With the advent of the bicycle, automobile and other motor vehicles, the demand for better road facilities has been felt, and this demand has been and is now being supplied. Under the State law providing for the construction and improvement of the highways at the joint expense of the State and county, the sum of $15,387.40 has been expended by the county, and the additional sum of $1,602.60 by the State, up to the year 1905, for acquisition of rights of way, engineering and cost of construction of 4.67 miles of road from Florida to Warwick, known as Road No. 93, so that under the good roads law (Chap. 115, Laws 1898) we have nearly five miles of finished work done. Plans have also been approved by the county and its share of the cost appropriated for the building of 6.92 miles of road from Warwick to Greenwood Lake at a total estimated cost of $54,250, which will undoubtedly be built as soon as the Legislature makes appropriation for the State's share of the cost.
Since 1883 the town has constructed several new iron bridges, viz: on the east arm of Greenwood Lake, at Main, South, Lake, Elm and Bank streets in the village of Warwick; also at Florida, Kimball's Point, Garners' Island across the Pochuck Creek, one between the towns of Goshen and Warwick, and one between the towns of Minisink and Warwick; also at Bellvale and New Milford, these substantial structures replacing the old wooden bridges of the past. An elevated bridge across the tracks of the Lehigh and Hudson River Railway Company was constructed to avoid the grade crossing at Stone Bridge at the joint expense of the railway company and the town, costing nearly $8,000, of which the town's share was one-quarter of the whole cost, made a most desirable improvement in this part of the town.
The town constructed a new road along the east side of Greenwood Lake in 1889, the land being donated by Alexander Brandon, trustee, and others, to the town, and the latter building the same at a cost of over $7,000. This improvement opens up a large tract of land for building purposes, the road extending to State line of New York and New Jersey.
In 1902, by a vote of the taxpayers, a change was made in the manner of working the highways from the labor to the money system. Under the old system something over 5,000 days would be assessed for labor, but a considerable portion would never be worked and in consequence our highways would suffer. Under the present method the sum of $5,593 was expended by the town in 1906, in cash upon our highways, and the additional sum of $2,000 State aid, with uniformly better results everywhere.
The total mileage of public roads is nearly 200 in the town, and the sum of $25 per mile was expended upon every mile in that year and additional sums of $10 per mile upon those roads more frequently traveled.
This amount was for all the road districts outside of the incorporated village of Warwick, which is a separate road district maintained by the corporation. The valuation for 1907 was $1 of tax for every $300 of assessed value.
Town boards of health have been maintained since 1881 and consist of the supervisor, town clerk, justices of the peace, a citizen member and a physician, known as the health officer. Rules and regulations governing the proper observance of health are published each year by this official body, and prompt action taken in case of any outbreak of disease, and measures instituted to control and prevent the spread of the same. As a result of the labors of these organizations and those in the incorporated villages of our towns, the public health has been safeguarded, and no serious epidemics have been experienced.
The town has seventeen separate school districts, where the common school is maintained, and two union free schools at Florida and Warwick, under the supervision of the Regents of the University at Albany. In these latter schools our young people are graduated, prepared for the different walks of life, and many entering colleges to prosecute their studies further for the learned professions. Under the present State law education is compulsory, between the ages of eight and sixteen, and parents, guardians and employers detaining the child between those ages are liable to fine and imprisonment.
Under the compulsory education law our town appoints annually for each of the school districts an officer known as the truant officer, whose duty it is to look after the interests of those who will not look after their own, and compel all children within the school age to be in attendance upon the public school during the required period. The State apportionment of school funds for 1907 for the town was $4,300.
The town has six election or polling places, known as Districts Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. No. 1 includes the voters in the Amity and Pine Island district; No. 2, those in Florida and vicinity; Nos. 3, 4 and 5, the village of Warwick, Bellvale and New Milford; No. 6. Greenwood Lake and Sterling. The total vote polled for Governor in the town in 1900 was 1,218.