December 12, 2023

The Central Committee of Organized War Veterans of the Town of Ossining held its annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day commemoration outside Village Hall. The ceremony paid tribute to the many men and women who served in that period of American History. ⁠Several veterans and their families call Ossining their home, and we thank them for their service.

Another beautiful evening in Ossining as we add light to our lives. We celebrated the start of Hanukkah and the tree lighting, bringing the community together. Santa and the kids were super happy.

The Ossining Recreation and Parks Department hosted Breakfast with Santa. While there, guests had a delightful time with the big red guy! As always, our community center welcomes all.

Get ready to ho-ho-hold onto your hats on Sunday, December 17th, at 9:00 AM! Santa will be traveling throughout the Village and Town of Ossining on an Ossining Fire Department's fire truck for our annual Candy Cane Run! As always, Santa will be handing out candy canes and stopping for pictures. Be sure to check the Candy Cane Run Route (https://bit.ly/3Td7ZvO) and tune into the Ossining Police Department's Facebook page for location updates! I thank the Ossining Police and Fire Departments for their participation in making Ossining such a warm, inclusive environment.

During the holiday season, folks come from near and far to shop at Ossining's family-friendly stores, gather at our eateries, and spend time exploring our Village. In the ever-shifting business landscape, small businesses remain the cornerstone of our community. Shopping here contributes to the success of our neighbors, families, and friends' businesses - we can truly help our local economy by shopping local. Please visit Ossining's diverse businesses - you'll find something for everyone!

An update on some of our major projects:

The Five Corners Redesign project, located at the intersection of Main/ Spring/Brandreth/Central, intended to be completed this Fall, encountered an unavoidable delay due to supply chain issues with the new signaling equipment. However, we are happy to share that our long-awaited equipment has arrived, and we are now working to finish this project as quickly as possible.

Our work has commenced. The intersection and road will remain open while work is performed, parking displacement will be minimal, and we will continue to ensure pedestrian-friendly access to all businesses. While we understand that the holiday season is hardly the most convenient time to undertake this work, working expeditiously should not create any disruptions for the local businesses or folks traveling on Main Street.

The Village will provide regular updates on the construction schedule via social media (Facebook/ Instagram) and the Village website (https://bit.ly/3RyhBjD). We want to ensure that customers know Ossining is open for business and that plenty of parking is available, along with convenient access to all of our welcoming shops and eateries.

At the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center, our work on both the pool and locker rooms is moving forward – with the pool reopening in January 2024. Thank you for your patience and to the staff for marching forward with these projects that improve our community's quality of life.

Are you following Village Historian Joyce Sharrock-Cole's Facebook page?

If not – be sure to stop by her page in your daily “scrolls” to see some of the many recipes from the 1988 Ossining 175th Anniversary cookbook. Tis the season to entertain guests … why not include some of the tried-and-true recipes like Chicken ’N Dumplings, Holiday Punch, or Ten-Minute Peanut Brittle that were included in the book by community members? Click here to see more: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100055097171142  

I am very proud of my administration's legislative move to create a Youth Bureau in Ossining. While Westchester has a handful of youth bureaus, ours was the first created in Westchester County in over 30 years. The mission of the Ossining Youth Bureau (OYB) is to connect youth with diverse interests and backgrounds to positive services and programs that will help promote education, physical and emotional well-being, civic engagement, economic security, healthy choices, and a sense of belonging to the community. 

Our OYB is youth-driven, with support from a professional staff and an active Board comprising adults and local youth. Be sure to take a moment to view their report https://bit.ly/3uTCxsx, and if you have a chance, join us Wednesday at our meeting to see their presentation. Lastly, please contact Chima Monday if you know of youth who want to be part of this initiative and would like to help in the many programs the OYB has planned in 2024.

This week's meeting will be held at 16 Croton and will begin at 7:30PM on Wednesday, December 13th.

The Work Session agenda will be as follows:

• We will begin with a presentation from the Youth Council with Chima Monday, Youth Bureau Director.
• Next, Valerie Monastra, AICP - Principal Planner - Nelson, Pope & Voorhis LLC. will discuss the next steps in the process for our Zoning Changes project, which will entail formal referrals to the Village's land use boards.
• Paul Fraioli, P.E. Village Engineer, and Andrew Tiess, Superintendent of Water/Sewer, will join us to discuss contracts for the construction of the new Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant.
• Dale Brennan, Village Treasurer, will be with us to discuss the annual re-levy of unpaid fees (water/ sewer, property cleanup, and ETPA) onto the 2024 Village tax bill.
• Deputy Mayor Lopez will lead a discussion related to recommendations on PRAC (Police Reform Advisory Committee) going forward.
• Finally, I will discuss our next steps in the process to replace our retiring Police Chief.