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MAYOR'S UPDATE
From the desk of Mayor Rika Levin
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Pictured above is your Board of Trustees at our first legislative session of 2025. From left to right (Trustee Dana White, Deputy Mayor Omar Lopez, Mayor Rika Levin, Trustee Pat Yost, Trustee Bob Fritsche).
Did you know that one of the duties of the Mayor in Ossining is to appoint the Deputy Mayor, Village Historian, and various Trustees as liaisons to our many volunteers’ municipal boards at the first legislative session of the year?
2025 Mayoral Appointments:
- Deputy Mayor: Omar Lopez
- Village Historian: Joyce Sharrock Cole
- Chair of the Board of Ethics: Claude Tusk
Liaisons to Boards and Committees
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What an honor to represent Ossining at Monday’s County press conference with our new County Executive, Ken Jenkins, and new Deputy County Executive, Richard Wishnie. And yes… (Richard Wishnie Park on Pleasantville Road fame). To see the full press release, CLICK HERE. | |
You might have noticed our newest addition to 16 Croton Ave. The Village of Ossining has installed an LED digital display outside Village Hall. This state-of-the-art technology will assist us in promptly providing critical messages, emergency alerts, and other important information and enhance our communication with the community at large. Recognizing that not all our residents use social media and the internet, the Board felt this additional communication venue would widen our reach 24 hours a day and provide a proactive approach to advising the community about what you need to know, ensuring you are always well-informed and prepared. This initiative is in addition to our robust marketing tools like social media, Nixel, website, weekly web blasts, and my weekly message. You can expect to continue to receive shared information on everything from our capital projects and road work to our Village-specific events and the weather. | |
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Please join us at the Village’s first Work Session of 2025 on Wednesday, January 15th, 2025 (click here) to learn about the next steps in the Route 9 project, which aims to improve traffic flow, pedestrian safety, and the overall aesthetic of our community. It will be more synergistic with the rest of Route 9 as one heads south through the rest of the river towns.
Can you believe that Route 9 didn’t always look like it does today? During the 1970s, our section of the road looked similar to communities like the way Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Irvington, and Hastings do today—single lanes in each direction, with opportunities to safely cross throughout. A decision at that time to widen Route 9 in Ossining permanently altered the local landscape, hurting local business development, splitting our community into a downtown and uptown, and dramatically reducing parking for businesses. It has taken over 30 years, petitioning and NYS to return the road to its original configuration, increasing pedestrian and vehicle safety, fostering economic development and adding parking.
In 2020, the Village Board of Trustees decided to re-engage the NYS Department of Transportation to conceptualize a “Road Diet” in Ossining, and the Village began work with the firm Creighton Manning to design it. Working hand in glove with the DOT throughout the entire process, as well as the Ossining Union Free School District and Ossining’s emergency responders in OPD, OFD, and OVAC, the Village continued to seek grant funding to execute the work. After extensive discussions with local leaders about the safety, health, and equity benefits of the project, in 2022, Rep. Mondaire Jones awarded Ossining $4M to construct the Road Diet. The time has since been spent working out details regarding specific pedestrian components, parking layouts, signaling, and scheduling with NYSDOT. At this time, the team at Creighton Manning will return to the Board of Trustees to give a substantive update on the project's progress and shed some light on the next steps.
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The community is invited to join us in the BOMA Interfaith Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Service is on Sunday, January 19, @ 5PM with Keynote Speaker Reverend Dr. Willie François, Sr. Pastor, Fountain Baptist Church (Summit, NY) Assoc Prof of Theology at Union Theological Seminar.
Location: Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church 304 Spring St. Ossining, NY 10562.
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Teatown's 21st Annual Hudson River EagleFest returns to Croton Point Park on Saturday, February 1st - A unique family fun-filled experience for our community.
The event features exciting live bird shows showcasing birds of prey, bird walks offering opportunities to spot eagles through spotting scopes, heated tents with informative displays and exhibits, children's crafts and games, food trucks, and much more!
The snow date is Sunday, February 2. To find out more, click the link below. Hope to see you there!
Click here to purchase tickets: https://www.teatown.org/eaglefest-tickets/
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Key points for our Work Session Agenda will be as follows:
We will begin with an update from the team at Creighton Manning, Frank Filiciotto, and Paul Fraioli about the progress we have made working with DOT on the Route 9 initiative.
Treasure Dale Brennan will join us to discuss opening Capital Projects adopted as part of the 2025 Budget.
I will be presenting a concept for a resolution similar to those passed by neighboring communities in years past, declaring community support for Ossining residents.
Finally, we have (2) renewal agreements related to IT—one is for Cybersecurity Consulting/ IT Advisory Services from PFK O'Connor Davies, and the other is for Cybersecurity Awareness Training (which is a training platform subscription).
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Martin Luther King Jr Day, observed on the 3rd Monday in January, honors the American clergyman, activist, and Civil Rights Movement leader. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. King is a national icon in the history of American progressivism. In observance of the holiday, Village offices will be closed on Monday, January 20th. | |
Village of Ossining | www.villageofossining.org | | | | |
