Congratulations to the 2021 Graduates!

With this important milestone upon us, in a year like no other, I wish all the high school and collegiate graduates the best of luck in their respective futures. You have persevered through a pandemic and showed that you can and will succeed no matter the circumstances. As you move through this momentous time in your life, I hope you can reflect on the lessons you've learned about responsibility, accountability, self-confidence, and the importance of the relationships you have with your family, friends, and educators. It is truly an exciting time, and on behalf of the entire Village Board, we are proud of your hard work. You’ve got this. You will do great things!

Every year I look forward to the gathering of our fire department in our Village when our own present their apparatus for the annual inspection. A good competitive time was had by all at the waterfront, and I was so happy to see fellow elected members of the Village Board and Town Board along with our staff. The Village of Ossining is proud of the entire Ossining Fire Department for their diligent preparation of their apparatus and members leading up to Saturday’s annual inspection. There are nine companies in our Department, and each came out looking strong! The competition is always tough - and those that win receive trophies … and, of course, BRAGGING rights! The inspection included having all participating departments' apparatus line-up at the waterfront where the Westchester County Parade Judges performed an assessment of each piece of apparatus. Thank you to all members of our volunteer fire department for all that you do all year.

Cheers to 100 years!

I was honored this past weekend to have participated in celebrating the momentous occasion of Mrs. Nettie C. Banks' 100^th birthday. Mrs. Banks, born in Virginia, moved to Westchester County in 1948, and she and her husband became members of the Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Ossining. Mrs. Banks has been devout in her worship and involvement in ministry work throughout her life and has touched many lives over her decades of devotion and involvement. I thanked the congregation and Nettie for this joyful occasion to gather and celebrate after more than a year when too many in our community perished too soon. I wished her a happy birthday and hope that she lives to 120!

Thank you to Ossining's Ella Birenkarant’s Girl Scout, who set out to achieve her Gold Service Award Project, Preventing Pollution in the Hudson River.

Working in partnership with Riverkeeper, Ella has been marking stormwater and sewer drains with stencils in Peekskill and Ossining. When chemicals, grease, and other pollutants are dumped into storm drains, they go directly into the Hudson River; these stencils serve as an educational tool and a reminder of the serious negative consequences for the health of the Hudson River and the aquatic life that inhabits it.  

Ella’s team consisted of Hunter Straub, Brianna Jankowski, and Alexis Rapacioli. A special thanks to our DPW staff, including Dennis Traditi and Danny Olivieri, who supervised this project at the Ossining Waterfront.

Our community is united in our shared goals of environmental conservation, and I am proud of our youth for taking up the mantle and endeavor to protect resources that, for so long, have been taken for granted by those who came before.

We are thrilled to announce the return of free live entertainment in Ossining for the summer of 2021! While most municipalities might offer one option, we have three different options on three different days of the week…. SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. So grab dinner from one of Ossining's local eateries, a lawn chair, and of course your family and friends - and we'll see you there! Please note that there is no smoking in our parks.

Starting this Friday, July 2^nd, is Food Truck Fridays & Concert Series at Louis Engel Waterfront Park. There will be food trucks, music, & adult beverages! The Family Summer Entertainment Series will be held at 7 pm each Tuesday in various Ossining Parks, and the live Summer Acoustic Music Series will take place on Wednesdays in Market Square at 7 pm.

The Board of Trustees would like to invite all members of the Ossining community to join us at our next Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, Jun 30, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. We are using this Town Hall to hear from the public about any issue in our Village that concerns them. The Town Hall will be held virtually on Zoom.

Members of the public can view the meeting via computer or mobile app: https://zoom.us/j/92296404230

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

Webinar ID: 922 9640 4230

Green Ossining and Briarcliff Sustainability Present: EnergySmart Homes Ossining Briarcliff, Virtual House Tour on Jun 30, 7:30–8:30 pm on Zoom.

Virtually tour three local homes benefiting from clean energy upgrades and see how your neighbors are saving money with air source heat pumps, geothermal systems, and energy efficiency.

Register at SustainableWestchester.org/Webinar or call (914) 242-4725 ext. 122.

For upcoming meetings, you can visit our Agendas and Minutes page here or click the button at the bottom of the website.

To subscribe to updates from the Village of Ossining, you can click here to receive updates on meeting schedules/agenda/minutes, updates from Ossining Recreation, the Ossining Weekly Web Blast, and of course, to subscribe to my weekly Mayor’s Update.

There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.-- President Bill Clinton