As Nathaniel Hawthorne said, "I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house" – and what a weekend it was to be outside in Ossining. I had the pleasure of strolling the Westchester Craft Crawl – where so many local artists were featured with mediums like clay, wood, fiber, metal, and jewelry. While out and about, I also perused so many of the Green Ossining Tag Sale participants. It was a perfect weekend, spent in Ossining, my Happy Place!

This weekend, I had the honor of presenting Richard Crisfield of Independent Hose Company, No. 6, a proclamation honoring his active membership for 75 years! Mr. Crisfield has maintained his active membership and has served the Company and Department at many levels and activities over the years. Thank you, sir, for your service – your dedication is monumental.

I hope that everyone is enjoying the fall weather and all the wonderful outdoor activities available to us locally. As a public safety and health priority, please keep in mind that as we think about more indoor activities in our homes and at community gathering locations that our country has surpassed 700,000 deaths due to Covid-19. Westchester is doing well with vaccinations, but we can do better if all of us encourage our friends and family to get vaccinated. Here are Covid-19 vaccinations to date:

Please note that there will be a pop-up vaccine center, tomorrow October 7, at 3:30-6:30 PM in the Ossining High School gym, located at 29 S Highland Ave. Click here to register. Walk-ins welcome!

Are you interested in making a difference in your community? Why not join one of the Village’s local volunteer boards or commissions? The Board of Trustees has opened the online application for various positions on our many volunteer Boards, Commissions, and Committees. Participation can help make positive changes in our community by working towards a common goal together. Residents outside of the Village can also apply for the Board of Ethics.

Our staff is available to help you identify what best suits your interests. Please click here for more information on the different Boards, Commissions, and Committees. I welcome you to complete the online application (click here). I thank the residents of the Village of Ossining for their dedication and commitment to service.

We are thrilled to share that the Village of Ossining recently completed four high-Impact actions under NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program and was named a Clean Energy Community by NYSERDA. With this recognition, we will be receiving a designation grant in the amount of $5,000. We will be sharing more information on this acknowledgment and how the funds will be used later this month.

A friendly reminder that this week’s Legislative meeting will be taking place on Thursday, October 7^th. Many of our Trustees and staff will be attending the Westchester Water Works Conference, as Water Superintendent Andrew Tiess will be receiving an award for the Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant PAC (Powder Activated Carbon) Addition Project.

We will begin this week’s Legislative Meeting with (2) public hearings: one on Proposed Local Law #8 of 2021 (Admin. Adjustments to Zoning, linked in the agenda), and one for the James L. Bason honorary street renaming. The BOT will also be asked to call for (3) public hearings scheduled to take place at the October 20^th Legislative Meeting, including (2) additional honorary street namings for Barbara Klapkowski and Dream Ioni Shepherd, as well as one for Proposed Local law #15 of 2021, which relates to using the Best Value Standard as part of the Village’s Procurement Policy.

Click here for the Legislative Meeting Agenda - Oct 07 2021

Zoom info is as follows:

Members of the public can view the meeting via computer or mobile app: https://us06web.zoom.us/s/88980532186

Webinar ID: 889 8053 2186

Members of the public can listen to the meeting by dialing in via phone: +1 929 205 6099