November 6, 2024

Dear Ossining Voters:

I am deeply honored and grateful for the trust you've placed in me once again. Thank you for reelecting me as your Mayor for 2025-26. I am committed to serving our community with integrity, dedication, and a vision for a brighter future. Together, we will continue making Ossining a place we are all proud to call home. I also congratulate Trustee Dana White and new Trustee Patrick Yost. Representing our community at the State level are Senator Peter Harckham and Ossining's own State Assemblymember Dana Levenberg. Following are the election results as of the writing of this week's Mayor's message:

• President Donald Trump
• US Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand
• US Congressional District 16 Leader George Latimer
• US Congressional District 17 Leader Mike Lawler
• US Senatorial District 35 Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
• NY State Senator Peter B. Harckham
• NY Assemblyperson Dana Levenberg
• Village of Ossining Mayor Rika Levin
• Village of Ossining Board of Trustee Dana White
• Village of Ossining Board of Trustee Patrick H. Yost
• Town Justice Vanessa M. Pairis

Overnight on Sunday, 11/3/2024, paving began on Route 9A. This is a reminder that the roadway will be closed for paving from North State Road to Croton Point Ave. and be shut down overnight, with traffic rerouted from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM through Thursday, 11/07/2024.

Please plan your travel accordingly and follow detour signs to guide you safely to your destination.

In observance of Veteran's Day, Village offices will be closed on Monday, November 11, 2024.⁠

The Central Committee of Organized War Veterans of the Town of Ossining will hold its One Hundredth and Fifth consecutive community Veterans Day celebration on Monday, November 11, 2024.⁠



There will be a mass at St. Augustine Church at 10 AM, followed by a service at Nelson Park at 11 AM.

The Village and Town Ossining, with the active participation of our community, will jointly accept orders for our 2025 Military Banner Program. The Village first offered this program for the 2024 season, with 63 banners ordered, a testament to our community's support.

Installed along Croton Avenue, the display of these banners commemorating Ossining’s heroes began on Memorial Day; the banners are scheduled to be taken down after Veteran’s Day and stored over the winter months.

Given the success of the program, we are pleased to announce that the Town of Ossining will join the Village in expanding this. Each roadway where banners will be displayed will be themed around a specific conflict era, with banners displayed chronologically.

A symbol of honor and respect, the banners serve as a meaningful keepsake after they've been displayed. Each family/sponsor of the 2024 military banners has the option to have them stored and reinstalled along with new banners for Memorial Day 2025, ensuring their safety and preservation for a fee of $50 per banner for the season (click here for the 2024/2025 Banner Storage Form).

How It Works:

Community members, businesses, or organizations can sponsor a banner to honor a service member of their choosing. The banner is customized with a military service member's name, photo, and service branch and will be displayed in both the Village and Town of Ossining. The Village and Town of Ossining are proudly working with Military Tribute Banners to create and print these custom banners, which will be displayed from Memorial Day through Veterans Day 2025. Banners will be given to the family/sponsor after the display period. If the family/sponsor wants the Village/Town to store and reinstall them for the 2026 season, there will be a $50 charge in November 2025.

Sponsor A Banner:

Honor a veteran in your life by customizing a tribute banner with the photo and name of your hero. Orders are placed directly through Military Tribute Banners, a trusted partner who will work with you to ensure your banner is of the highest quality. They will guide you through the customization process. Please note that payment must be received before the design can begin.

The Military Tribute Banner application portal will reopen for new orders on Monday, November 11th, 2024, and close on Friday, February 28^th, 2025. Banners will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. If, for any reason, we sell out of those spots, communication will be shared with the public, and the ordering site will be closed. Kindly note that banners purchased in 2024 will be hung alongside the new banners on roads in the Village and Town of Ossining, themed around a specific conflict era, with banners displayed chronologically. Please note that we cannot accept specific pole requests due to the number of banners displayed and that we cannot guarantee that banners will be hung in the same location that they were in 2024.

The sponsorship rate is $250/sponsored banner. For additional details, please contact Village Historian Joyce Sharrock Cole at historian@villageofossining.org.

Click Here to Order Banner

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) declared a drought watch for 15 New York counties, including Westchester, due to the significant rainfall shortage and declining streamflow and groundwater levels. Following the declaration, DEC briefed the State Drought Management Task Force and federal partner agencies. New York State encourages residents to conserve water whenever possible during the coming weeks. 

Due to these dry conditions, Westchester County Parks has also issued a ban on open fires, effective immediately.

To protect our precious resources, homeowners are encouraged to take an active role in reducing outdoor water use. You can make a difference by following these tips:

• Water lawns only when necessary, choose watering methods that avoid waste, and water in the early morning to reduce evaporation and maximize soil hydration.
• Reuse water collected in rain barrels, dehumidifiers, or air conditioners to water plants.
• Raise lawn mower cutting heights. Longer grass is healthier with stronger roots and needs less water.
• Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways, & sidewalks.
• Fix leaking pipes, hoses, and faucets.

Your efforts in water conservation are crucial. For further details and resources, please visit The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s website: https://on.ny.gov/3CeMN2l

HUDSON COMPOST has come to Ossining! A great complement to the Town of Ossining's Food Scraps Recycling Program.

Founded in Hastings on Hudson in 2019, Hudson Compost came about after seeing a need in that community for an easier way to divert organic waste. They began by offering curbside compost collection for residential homes and slowly grew over the last 5 years to service over 500 families in the Rivertowns.

And now, they have opened their subscription service to Ossining and Briarcliff! This is perfect for those who want to participate and understand the value of diverting food waste for a higher use, all while lowering negative impacts on the planet.

Click here to learn more: https://www.hudsoncompost.com/

This week’s Legislative Meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 6^th, at 7:30PM at the Birdsall-Fagan Police Court Facility.

Some items of note:

• The Board will begin with a hearing on the Overgrowth Assessment for 25 Ann Street.
• Karen D’Attore will present the Manager's (Tentative) 2025 Budget as part of her Manager's Report.
• The Board will have resolutions adopting (2) local laws:
• A Local Law containing changes to the “General Penalty”
• A Local Law revising Chapter 194 (Peace & Good Order)
• The BOT will have resolutions calling for (3) Public Hearings at the next Legislative Meeting (November 20):
• A proposed Local Law revising Chapter 270 (Zoning) by adding an article governing the placement and installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
• A proposed Local Law revising Chapter 229 (Streets and sidewalks) by adding a new section on utility poles (specifically, the requirement for removal of double poles, and penalties for non-compliance)
• The 2025 Village of Ossining Budget
• The Board will also have a resolution to refer proposed Zoning Changes to the Planning Board.
• The Board will also have a resolution on the Overgrowth Assessment for 25 Ann Street (hearing to take place earlier on the agenda).
• The BOT will have a resolution adopting the Pro-Housing.
• We will also have (3) resolutions to establish BOT support for the incoming CREST grants we have been awarded (OFD PPE Washer/ Dryer, fleet vehicle charging stations at the Community Center, and renovations to OPD’s communications room).

Village of Ossining | www.villageofossining.org

It's budget time! Here is a preliminary meeting schedule:

• Monday, November 11^th - 12:00 - 6:00 PM
• Wednesday, November 13^th - 3:00 PM - 10:30 PM
• Thursday, November 14^th - 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
• Friday, November 15th (if needed) - 6:00-10:00 PM (estimate - if needed by the Board)

All meetings are held in the Board Room at Village Hall and will be recorded via Zoom.