Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara joined Princetown officials, representatives from the Military Order of the Purple Heart, AmVets Post 35 and local Purple Heart veterans Friday, July 29, to dedicate a Purple Heart parking space at Princetown Town Hall in recognition of service members wounded in combat.

Santabarbara, a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve and member of the state Assembly’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, earlier this year introduced legislation that would create Purple Heart parking designation as a standard across the state for the Purple Heart veterans who have served our country and returned home to live in New York.

This unique purple parking space, complete with signage, serves as a tribute to all who have been wounded in combat serving our country and marks the first municipality in Schenectady County to designate reserved parking for Purple Heart veterans.

“It’s so important to show our veterans that their courage and sacrifice is appreciated – not just on holidays, but every day,” said Santabarbara. “With our Hometown Heroes celebration well underway in Downtown Schenectady, this is yet another way to say ‘Thank You’ to our veterans and will serve as a daily reminder to our community to remember the brave men and women who serve and come back to live in our communities.”

He continued, “I want to personally thank Supervisor Bob Myers and the entire Princetown Town Board for embracing this idea ahead of the legislation by adopting this initiative as a model for others to follow.”

Town Supervisor Robert Myers said, “Creating this new parking space at Princetown Town Hall is another way of saying thank you to our veterans for their service, and it’s the least we can do for the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy today. We appreciate the efforts of Assemblyman Santabarbara to facilitate this opportunity to not only thank our veterans when they visit Town Hall, but also provide relief to those who have sustained injuries in service to our great nation.”

Purple Heart parking signs are available free-of-charge to municipalities and other establishments through the Wounded Warriors Family Support organization and can be obtained online at the Wounded Warriors Family Support Web site.

For more information on the program, residents are also encouraged to call Assemblyman Santabarbara’s office at 382-2941.