Mayor's Weekly Update

November 23, 2021

MAYOR'S UPDATE

From the desk of Mayor Rika Levin

Yesterday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the Village of Ossining, along with the Village of Haverstraw, our neighbor across the river, are each recipients of New York State’s 2021 $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).

This is the fifth time Ossining has applied for this funding, making it to the finals four times before the fifth and winning application this year. This is a major win for our community, representative of years of hard work on behalf of long-standing local businesses, new entrepreneurs, and community-based organizations who recognize Ossining's Downtown Waterfront District's innate value and enormous potential. Decades of forward-thinking Village leadership provided for the historic preservation of our beautiful Italianate Main Street architecture, our landmark double arch bridge, and the creation of the one-of-a-kind Sing Sing Kill Greenway, all treasured components of a vibrant downtown recognized by the Regional Economic Development Council and Governor Hochul.

Below is an illustration of the initiatives that were proposed for these infrastructure improvements to our downtown. I will be sharing more detailed information via this Mayor's Message and our Village website as we begin the process of community engagement with the State.

Over the past several years, after decades of disinvestment, population growth, and environmental challenges, following the devastating impact of Urban Renewal, we finally saw Ossining coming back to life, with thriving businesses replacing empty storefronts. Then COVID struck and threatened our hard-won successes. This $10 million will help ensure a lasting and sustainable revitalization of our downtown and waterfront, creating a ripple effect of ample benefits for our surrounding business communities and all Ossining residents.

I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this significant accomplishment over the years, as well as current and past Boards of Trustees, staff, business owners, and engaged residents who have worked on the DRI application.

This award required an intensive and highly competitive application process, including a fifteen-page written application detailing how each community would use $10 million to revitalize their respective downtowns. Phase Two of the application process included the submission of a ten-minute video presentation highlighting the most compelling aspects of each community's revitalization projects (click here to watch the video). Every person involved in the creation of the video in front and behind the camera lives in Ossining. Truly a homemade production that speaks from our hearts. You can view Ossining and Haverstraw’s winning applications and videos here: https://www.ny.gov/downtown-revitalization-initiative/round-five-winners.

Village of Ossining 2021 DRI Presentation

This is the week of Thanksgiving. Over the years, this holiday has meant different things to me in the various stages of my life: daughter, wife, mother, friend, volunteer, public servant. As I think about the journey of being Mayor during a global pandemic, I think about gratitude more than ever. As the author Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude."

I am grateful for having the opportunity to serve the Ossining community. I am grateful for the way those who live here come together to provide for others. Gratitude comes in so many ways; not all can be said with words. I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. For those celebrating Hanukkah, may your days be filled with light and joy.