MAYOR'S UPDATE
From the desk of Mayor Rika Levin
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Happy first day of school to Ossining’s students & faculty!
I always feel that the beginning of the school year is a sign of new opportunities. Now is a great time to begin healthy and long-lasting habits like getting enough sleep so you can seize the day, eating healthy meals, getting organized, and being open-minded to new things!
For our adults driving on school days, a friendly reminder that school buses are not unlike other vehicles. The NYS DMV has these helpful hints when you encounter a school bus:
- Slow down. School buses make frequent stops, so be patient and drive at a reasonable speed. Remember, in addition to picking up and dropping off students, school buses are required by law to stop at railroad crossings.
- Be alert. Always be aware of children and parents waiting at a school bus stop or running to catch the bus before it departs.
- Come to a complete stop at least 20 feet away from the bus.
- Be extra careful to look around before moving your vehicle, as children may be walking in front of, behind, or on the side of school buses. Check for pedestrians - especially near schools, bus stops, playgrounds, parks, and behind parked cars.
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As the summer of 2023 is in the rear-view mirror – I want to take this opportunity to thank the Ossining Recreation Department for their work all summer. As many of you know, the Recreation Department runs both camp and special events. We were able to host and support free events at least three times a week—almost every week -- this summer. Our Recreation Department is second to none. Our last event, the Little Mermen, was the ultimate Disney tribute concert for Disney fanatics of all ages. The band's repertoire covered nearly a century of musical canon, including favorites from The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Frozen, and Encanto.
Ossining's free events bring our community together – creating bonds that support well-being and strengthening our strong Ossining identity. Thankfully, our community events extend beyond the summer. Be on the lookout for our Halloween-themed pumpkin patch and the annual tree lighting in Market Square.
I look forward to seeing you there!
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Congratulations to the Village of Ossining's Building Department for winning this week's WHUD 100.7 FREE WORKPLACE LUNCH! The timing of this couldn't be better as our team was preparing for this week's Municity/City Squared launch for online permitting and property lookup! |
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Why is it important to remember 9/11? The September 11, 2001 events irrevocably changed the lives of victims' families and friends, survivors, first responders, rescue and recovery workers, volunteers, and millions of Americans and people worldwide. Today, the legacies of the attacks continue to affect foreign policy, national security, civic discourse, airline security, building safety, the law, and countless individual lives. The Ossining and Briarcliff community suffered significant losses that day. I vividly recall coming home on the first train out of Grand Central with fellow passengers covered by ash and mostly in shock. I also remember school teachers waiting for parents to pick up their children, wondering which parents would not come home that day.
The attacks also provided numerous examples of individuals helping others in whatever ways they could, often at the expense of their own safety, under challenging circumstances. Their humanity and selflessness offer a counter to the horror of that day and provide an example as we face difficult moments today and moving forward. To honor that day and first responders we lost, please join me and the Ossining and Briarcliff fire departments on 9/11, at 7pm at Louis Engel Park.
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In a significant step towards environmental sustainability, Westchester County is reminding residents and business owners of its "Upon Request" single-use foodware law, which took effect on September 2. This legislation aims to reduce the consumption of single-use plastics by promoting a more mindful approach to their usage within food service establishments by limiting the use of single-use foodware products to only when specifically requested by the customer. Click here for more info: https://bit.ly/3sxYNXL |
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Village Board Meetings through the beginning of October will be held in person at the John-Paul Rodrigues Ossining Operations Center, located at 101 Route 9A, Ossining, NY 10562.
Tomorrow's Legislative Meeting will take place at 7:30PM on Wednesday, September 6th, 2023.
Some items of note:
- The BOT has a resolution to allow the OPD to "piggyback" on copier services with Canon Financial Services.
- At the July 12th Work Session, the Board was approached by a representative from Zarin & Steinmetz asking for a zoning change in the O-R (Office and Research) district, under which "animal-related uses, general" and "animal-related uses, intensive" be added - as the BOT found this to be amenable, we asked them to formally petition, which they have. The BOT now has a resolution to formally refer this to the Planning Board for review. The Planning Board has 62 days to respond before we can schedule the Public Hearing before the BOT.
Under New Business, we have added a few short items:
- As part of our RFP/ RFQ rotation, we also will be asking the BOT to approve a resolution for the Third Party Administrator (TPA) for Claims Management and Adjustment Service to go out next week—three years went quickly! The current agreement expires in late September, so we were able to get an extension to December so we can get all of these on a calendar basis going forward. Like the last agreement, this will be for a (3) year period.
- We have been working to formalize the relationship with our Arborist and, after speaking to several candidates, have found someone who we think will work better for the Building Department going forward than our current Arborist. Please note—this is NOT the same as our annual/ biannual bid for tree removal services: this is only for the person to work with the Building Department on tree permits.
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Village of Ossining | www.villageofossining.org
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