Mayor's Weekly Update

August 1, 2023

MAYOR'S UPDATE

From the desk of Mayor Rika Levin

As my past weekly messages mentioned, the Board of Trustees are committed to increasing community engagement. What has been done so far regarding the many Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI)? In addition to the eight-part Transformational Thursdays webinar series held over the past few weeks, a story map and FAQs on our website, and hangouts at the farmers market on selected Saturdays, we've initiated walking tours for community members. The first of these tours took place last week, and we are hosting several more walking tours through the summer and fall. As you can see, Deputy Mayor Lopez joined me and Village Manager Karen D'Attore in leading last week's tour. We believe that having an engaged community leads to a flourishing community.

Congratulations to BSA Troop 18 on raising six Eagle Scouts this past Sunday at Independent Company 101. What an impressive group: Timothy Albinus, Dominic Fields, Christian Messado, Brian Pahk, Corbin Rosario, and James Sutterlin.

Police Reform in Action – The Ossining Police Department’s Partnership with Family Services of Westchester’s Mobile Crisis Response Team is a winning combination.

Local governments often have a reputation for being slow-moving bureaucracies, mired in red tape and unwilling, or unable, to evolve with the times. The Village of Ossining, on nearly every front, has made great strides in dispelling that narrative, evidenced by a recent partnership between the Ossining Police Department and Family Services of Westchester on the Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) Program.

The national dialogue around Police Reform raised awareness of the need for resources to empower police officers to appropriately respond to situations involving mental health issues, opening the door to partnership initiatives that pair police departments with mental health professionals. In August 2020, then-Governor Cuomo announced guidance for the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, which required that all NY municipalities adopt a plan for police reform by April 1, 2021, to be eligible for future state funding. During this planning process, the Village of Ossining's Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative identified the need for a mental health crisis team. In 2021, when the County created pilot programs for these partnerships, the Ossining Police Department jumped on an opportunity to take advantage of Family Services of Westchester’s Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT) program.

The Ossining Police Department is now one of three Westchester Police Departments, along with the Portchester Police Department and the Mt. Kisco Police Department, working in partnership with Family Services of Westchester to extend the reach of FSW's MCRT. Deployed as part of a team to respond to emergency 911 calls and co-located onsite at the police departments, FSW's staff help stabilize those experiencing mental health crises and connect them with follow-up services as needed. This innovative arrangement is helping police departments with the necessary training and greater capacity to respond appropriately, reducing unnecessary arrests and emergency room visits and providing people with mental health issues greater access to services. Department leadership, working closely with the Board of Trustees, has demonstrated an ability to move in a way that is agile and can respond quickly to new and often labor-intensive policy changes to the benefit of the Ossining community, which is well-served by the Ossining Police Department.

At the same time, the public sector in the United States has seen a steady decline in qualified candidates for police officers, exacerbating a trend that police departments nationwide have been experiencing. According to a survey of police chiefs by the Police Executive Research Forum, Police Departments experienced 47% more resignations and 19% more retirements in 2022 versus 2019. While there are multiple factors affecting this, the issue that is cited most frequently in a recent survey conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is that, of the already diminished number of applicants seeking careers in public safety, many of the individuals that do apply are not able to make it through the rigorous application process.

This issue affects police departments throughout the County, and Ossining is not exempt. However, despite a limited pool of qualified applicants, the Village Board appointed eleven police officers in 2022, and seven officers have taken their oath of service to date in 2023. While retirements, resignations, and transfers leave still more open positions to be filled, Ossining is confident in OPD's ability to continue to attract officers who want to serve in a department that receives national recognition for its progressive approach to community policing. While on any given day, the public may enjoy Coffee with a Cop, a chess game with Sergeant Chavez, or an OPD-sponsored neighborhood block party, the department is also leading the way in holistic approaches to policing and state-of-the-art training, improved communications, and the highest level of honorable conduct, of which the partnership with FSW is but one, albeit, exciting example. It is my hope that this County pilot is extended to a permanent initiative.

I am thrilled to announce another enhancement project: The Ossining Community Pool Renovation Project!

The Ossining Community Pool will undergo needed renovations starting September 11th, with a planned completion date of December 2023. We will address important repairs and upgrades to increase inclusivity and accessibility. Our goal during this time is to minimize the time the pool will be unavailable.

There are two stages to the project:

Stage 1 will include a total resurfacing of the pool's shell and replacing all lighting in the pool area with LED fixtures, which will provide greater light in the area and reduce energy costs. The Village expects the project's first stage to last about two months. During this time, the pool will not be available for use. A credit will be issued to members during the time that the pool is unavailable.
Stage 2 will be a complete renovation of the pool locker rooms, including new fixtures, showers, flooring, lighting, and lockers, and the addition of a family changing room. During this anticipated two-month stage of construction, we expect the pool to be operational with our regular programming. Unfortunately, there are no alternative showers or lockers at the Recreation Center during construction. Swimmers needing to change may do so in available restroom stalls throughout the building.

These renovations are funded in large part by the $500K CREST (Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology Program) funds through the NYS Dormitory Authority (DASNY) grant, secured for Ossining by former Assemblywoman Galef.

We recognize that our pool is a valuable and well-used resource for the Ossining Community. On a daily basis, residents of all ages take part in programming like fitness classes, lap swimming, open swim, and swim team events. Swim lessons are taught to over 350 of Ossining's youth each week. These upgrades are essential to maintaining a quality, safe, and accessible facility in the years to come. Information and progress will be posted on the Village Facebook page, as well as the Community Center web pages.

Senator Pete Harckham recently announced the Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology Program (CREST) grant for local governments. The Village of Ossining is eligible for a grant of up to $100,000 for an application for a transition to a fossil fuel-free, clean energy future. Doing so will help protect our community's health and safety by taking steps to minimize the burning of fossil fuels.

In addition to the environmental and public health benefits, participating in the energy transition will yield financial gains and fuel cost savings. Transitioning to clean energy brings with it more job opportunities. We look forward to leading the way in New York's environmental goals and green workforce development.

This week’s Legislative Meeting will occur at 7:30PM on Wednesday, August 2^nd, 2023, at 16 Croton Ave.

Some items of note:

We will begin with a Public Hearing on the matter of an honorary street renaming for Sandy Galef.
Under the Manager's Report, Village Manager Karen D'Attore & Treasurer Dale Brennan will present on the first half of 2023! (Time sure flies.)
The BOT has resolutions to adopt (3) local laws for which Public Hearings took place on July 19^th:
Vehicles & Traffic (primarily, making changes to parking times at 16 Croton)
Candidate Disclosure (adding this chapter)
Videoconferencing (to accommodate ADA)
There is a resolution to accompany the local law on Videoconferencing that provides revised procedures.
There is a resolution to rescind the $3M WIIA grant from the 2019 application. The BOT will have a resolution to apply for the new $5M WIIA grant.
We have prepared a resolution opposing the Holtec Decommissioning plan that contemplates releasing 1M+ gallons of contaminated water from Indian Point into the Hudson River.