Supervisor's Update - January 17th, 2020

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Last Updated: 17 January 2020 17 January 2020

We have hit the ground running this year with presentations from the County Planning Commissioner on Census 2020 (at our first work session of the year), and follow up meetings with the Cornell and Hudson River Estuary folks to discuss next steps from the work we did with the Climate Adaptive Design Studio with the Village of Ossining.  We have also had changes in our staffing including a new addition to our Parks Department (Alban Sylaj), a new Judge (Benjamin Felcher Leavitt), new Town Clerk (Susanne Donnelly), new Town Prosecutor (Stephen Dewey), officially elected Highway Superintendent (Pete Connolly), and in the Supervisor’s office, new Budget Director (Victoria Cafarelli).  We have one more change that we are hoping to make at our Special Meeting on Tuesday regarding our planning consultant. The Town Board will be considering a resolution on Tuesday, January 21st to appoint Nelson, Pope, & Voorhis, LLC. as the Town's planning consultant for 2020.  We will be saying goodbye to FP Clark Associates, and David Stolman, who have served the town for decades.  David has been such an asset to the Town, and certainly a familiar face to many.  We thank David for his decades of service to the Ossining community and all of the incredible work he has done on projects ranging from simple two-lot subdivisions to Comprehensive Plans; he has touched nearly all of our existing polices on planning and zoning in the Town. 

 

 

We are also excited for the future with Nelson, Pope, & Voorhis, LLC. with Valerie Monastra who will serve as the primary contact for the Town.  Valerie is also a familiar face around Ossining as she lives in the Village with her family, and served as the Village of Ossining's planner for ten years before entering private practice.  Valerie has the best combination of institutional knowledge of our community and innovative thinking for this role.  I am confident Valerie will do an excellent job helping us navigate all of the projects on our horizon, including assisting us with the Comprehensive Plan as we bring our Steering Committee on board and look to select another planning firm to take the lead on the Plan.  Valerie will be joining us for her first Town Board meeting on Tuesday evening, when she will be discussing with us recommendations for the size and composition of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee.  This decision will help us select the right candidates to be appointed to this important committee as we complete interviews will all applicants next week.  Welcome Valerie!

 

 

On Monday, we finally held the bid opening for the Dale Cemetery Cottage Renovations.  This project has been in the planning stages for several years, and it was very fulfilling to reach this stage!  This historic building requires a good amount of work and has a lot of potential.  We formatted the bid to include several "add/alternates" in order to scale the renovation within the Town's budget during the bidding phase.  We are now going to review the bid submission in detail with our architect, engineering staff, and Cemetery Superintendent Pete Connolly and present to the board our recommendations for the full scope of the renovation.

 

 

On Tuesday, we had our debriefing meeting with the team from the Cornell University Climate-adaptive Design studio.  Along with the Village of Ossining and a few key stakeholders, including state and county representatives, and significantly, Metro North representatives, we reviewed the designs completed by Cornell landscape architecture graduate students for our waterfront.  Participating in this program has been an eye-opening experience -- as we consider the impacts climate change will have on our waterfront in the next few decades.  Although the designs produced are still at student level, this debriefing meeting with Professor Josh Cerra, Libby Zemaitis from the Hudson River Estuary Program, and their community coordinator Liz LoGiudice will help us navigate next steps.  This will help inform and buttress future grant opportunities, some of which are made available only as a result of our participation in this program.  As we move forward and help bring the lessons learned from this experience into our community, we know we need to keep the impacts of climate change front and center and consider incorporating the designs and ideas of the students into our Comprehensive Plan Process.  

 

 

This week, the Town Parks Department was hard at work getting us ready for spring.  These warm days in January let us finish up installing our new mulch around our new equipment at Louis Engel and Buck Johnson Parks.  Although it's a little too cold outside for outdoor workouts, you definitely need to check out these latest additions to our parks when it warms back up a bit!  At both Engel and Buck Johnson, the outdoor adult fitness equipment can help you incorporate some cross fit training into your outdoor walks or runs.  Here's Engel Park:

 

 

Pro-tip: each of the pieces of equipment have QR codes that you can scan to help learn some new workouts!  And here is the finished product at Buck Johnson:

 

 

 

Both parks also have upgrades for our younger parkgoers -- at Buck Johnson there is a super cute playground piece and at Engel, we have installed new swings.  The old swings broke last season, so we are very excited to get this piece of equipment back in place.  Note: one of the swings is ADA accessible.  Shout out to our newest Parks Groundskeeper, Alban -- he definitely approves!

 

 

 

Dale Cemetery Superintendent Pete Connolly would like to remind everyone to please pick up any seasonal decorations from Dale Cemetery or Sparta Cemetery by Monday, January 27th.  Otherwise, the decorations will be removed and disposed of by our Cemetery Staff.  If you have any questions, please call the Cemetery office at (914) 941-1155.

 

 

It is a tax collection month once again!  Second Half School Taxes for the Ossining and Briarcliff School Districts are due on January 31st.  You can make payment in person, by mail (make sure you witness the postmark to ensure timely delivery) or online (be wary of online bill pay from your bank -- those mailpieces are not postmarked and if we receive your check after January 31st, you will get a penalty), or utilizing our dedicated mailbox at the Ossining Post Office.  The Tax Office will be open extended hours on Thursday, January 30th and Friday, January 31st from 8am to 6pm.  Please call (914) 762-8790 or e-mail Receiver Holly Perlowitz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  This is a tax payment you do NOT want to be late on -- the penalty is 10%!  Holly and her team are happy to help you come up with a strategy to ensure your payment is made timely.  You can also sign-up for direct messages from Holly here.

 

 

Neighbor's Link is offering free English tutoring at their offices in Ossining on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  They can accommodate up to 30 participants per session.  Thank you to Neighbor's Link for all the good work they do for Ossining, helping people learn English, and growing the community.

 

 

 

 

The fight for Foundation Aid continues for the Ossining School District as the New York State legislature comes back into session for 2020.  Join the Ossining schools for an Educational Equity Rally this Saturday, January 18th, as they continue to encourage our state legislators to address discrepancies in Foundation Aid funding.  The rally will take place from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. at the Westchester County Daronco Courthouse located at 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., White Plains.  This rally will focus on the fight for the “Harmed Suburban Five” school districts, which receive some of the lowest percentages of Foundation Aid funding in New York State - including Ossining, Glen Cove City School District, Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District, Riverhead Central School District, and Westbury School District. 

 

 

 

A book discussion group focusing on African-American, African, and Afro-Caribbean authors meets at the Ossining Public Library on the 3rd Saturday of each month.  This month's book is Americanah by Chimandanda Ngozi Adiche, and the next meeting is January 18th at 3pm.  Next month's book is The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead -- get your copy reserved now at OPL!

 

 

The Ossining School District's Saturday Explore and Learn series continues this Saturday.  Check out the many fun offerings they have for the whole family!

 

 

 

This weekend, we can honor Dr. King by attending the Cooperative Scholarship Fund Celebration and Tribute to Dr. King, to be held on Saturday, January 18th at 3pm at the Ossining High School Theater.  Donations will support the Cooperative Scholarship Fund, which goes directly to OHS students heading to college.  This year, the celebration will feature KJ Denhert -- one of my favorite local performers, and Sarah White will be speaking, another of my new faves -- she is a great storyteller!

 

 

 

 

Have you tried West African Dance yet?  Not to be missed, work off calories while dancing to the tune of some phenomenal drumming!  Then enjoy some craft brews at SSKB.  It is invigorating to say the least.

 

 

Plan on joining the Briarcliff-Ossining Ministerial Alliance for a service remembering the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sunday, January 19th at 7:30pm at Star of Bethlehem Church.  This annual service will feature the theme of Renewal and Reconciliation with speaker Reverend Dr. William Shaw.  Reverend Shaw has experienced the power of renewal and reconciliation advocating for peace and acceptance through sectarian conflicts in Northern Ireland.  This is always an inspiring evening honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King.

 

 

Senator David Carlucci is holding a meeting of his Student Advisory group on Thursday, January 23rd from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at the Ossining Public Library.  This is open to any and all Ossining or Briarcliff High School students -- contact Stanley Dorsainville at Senator Carlucci's office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more. 

 

 

In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Ossining Library will be presenting this performance which promises to be both fascinating and entertaining, about the woman who hid the Frank family in Holland.  As a child of a hidden child myself, my mother was also born in Amsterdam, I plan to be there, and am hoping  to see many of you as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assemblywoman Sandy Galef has her annual Town Meetings lined up for January and February, starting on January 25th at the Desmond Fish Library in Garrison at 10am and the Field Library in Peekskill at 1pm.  Assemblywoman Galef will also be more local to us at the Briarcliff Manor Library on Thursday, February 6th at 7pm. 

 

 

 

 

 

Starting February 3rd and ending April 15th, IFCA Housing Network will be providing free income tax preparation services at their offices on Spring Street and at Ossining High School.  This program is for New York State residents, who work in New York State, have incomes less than $56,000 per year, and who are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit.  You can start making appointments now by calling (914) 941-5252 for sessions at IFCA's headquarters at 138 Spring Street and appointments are available Monday (12pm-3pm), Tuesday (10am-3pm), Wednesday (1pm-5pm), Thursday (10am-3pm), Friday (1:30pm-3:30pm), and Saturday (12:30pm-3:30pm).  There will also be walk-in hours on Mondays from February 3rd through April 6th at Ossining High School (Room 202) from 4pm through 8pm.  Please note the walk-in hours at OHS will not be held on February 17th, April 6th, and April 13th.  This program is sponsored by Wells Fargo Foundation. 

 

Save the date, Saturday, February 15th, for Gullotta House's 3rd annual Escape from Sing Sing Plunge!  Register now, or become a sponsor -- the proceeds fund the Gullotta House's many deserving causes.  You know I will be plunging.  Brrrrr!

 

If you haven't been checking your weather app, we just wanted you to know that there is a Winter Weather Advisory in our area starting at 10am on Saturday, January 18th and ending 1am on Sunday.  There is a high potential for light accumulating snow in our area starting late tomorrow morning and ending tomorrow evening.  As of right now, it looks like we could get around four to five inches, with snow falling at a rate of one inch per hour, so please remember to be safe and try to stay off the roads if you can.  On this long weekend, it sounds like a good plan to stay inside with a good book and wait until the snow clears.  As always during snow events, please do not shovel or plow snow from your driveway onto the street, stay out of the way of the snow plows, and we should be good to go by Sunday!  

 

--Dana

 

If your business, non-profit, or community group has an event that you would like to submit to be a part of the Supervisor's Update, please e-mail a flyer and brief description to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  We are happy to pass along events that provide a benefit to the community and support our local economy.  Thank you for helping us to highlight all the best Ossining has to offer!

Town Board Re-Organizational Meeting - January 14th, 2020

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Last Updated: 13 January 2020 13 January 2020

Supervisor's Update - January 10th, 2020

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Last Updated: 10 January 2020 10 January 2020

This week we have been getting back to our normal schedule for the new year.  On Wednesday, I attended the State of the State Address in Albany with Assemblywoman Sandy Galef and some her staff as well as County Legislator Catherine Borgia.  I enjoyed learning more about the Governor's priorities for 2020 and look forward to seeing how on a local level we can benefit from new State programs.

 

 

We made a lot of progress this week planning for the launch of our Food Scrap Recycling Program, funded by a grant from the New York State DEC.  The last of the collection bins are ordered and we have been collaborating with Teatown to plan our education campaign associated with the program.  But the biggest news of all is that we will be appointing our part-time Food Scrap Recycling Coordinator, Marcus DaSilva, at next Tuesday's board meeting.  We met Marcus, and upon learning about his passion for the environment and all things outdoors, we knew he would be an excellent fit to help us coordinate this grant-funded program.  Marcus will be starting at the end of January, leading up to our soft launch of the program in February.  Very soon you will be able to compost all of your food scraps -- like the peels from these yummy Mandarin oranges!  Stay tuned for more details about how and where to purchase kits to begin composting, and get ready to visit Marcus at Cedar Lane Park in just a few weeks.

 

 

On Wednesday, we received an update from the Village of Ossining Water Department regarding an issue some residents have been experiencing with the taste and odor quality of their tap water in recent weeks.  The Village of Ossining Water Department also supplies water to the Unincorporated Town of Ossining.  We shared this message in a separate e-blast yesterday morning, but I wanted to share this once again to ensure all see this message.  I have also received word directly from the County Executive's office that the County Department of Health has tested the water and deems it safe to drink.  Thank you to Water Superintendent Andy Tiess and Village Manager Karen D'Attore who have been working hard to develop solutions to this situation.

 

"In response to taste and odor issues, Ossining is now operating the Indian Brook Reservoir at 100% for our water supply. We will use this time period to design and implement a Powder Activated Carbon System to address this and similar issues in the future. In the interim, we will continue to use 100% Indian Brook as our water source while we continuously monitor reservoir levels. System demand is low this time of year, so it will take several days for the Croton Reservoir water already in the system to flush itself out. During this time, you may continue to detect taste and odor issues. However, within the next week or two, we anticipate significant improvements.

Recently we have been experiencing taste and odor issues with our water, described by residents as a musty taste and smell. It was determined by New York City that taste and odor issues stemmed from a specific organic compound 2-Methylisoborneol (MIB), produced by algae, detected in the Croton Reservoir, where Ossining draws most of its water from.

While Ossining and Westchester County continuously monitor water quality, we have been conducting additional tests under the guidance of Kirk Nowak, Ph.D., the leading expert in the country on taste and odor issues associated with potable water, to gain additional information and develop more effective strategies to address this issue. Today, we received results from Engineering Performance Solutions, an outside laboratory that specializes in testing algae that can cause taste and odor issues. It was found that the Croton water source had a result of 105.0 (ng/L) MIB, and Indian Brook had a result of <1.0 (ng/L) MIB. We immediately called the Westchester County Department of Health to get authorization to move to 100% Indian Brook as our source.

This condition has never been experienced during the 33 years of the water treatment plant operation. Further, this is not an Ossining-only issue. The taste and odor has affected all municipalities that draw from the Croton Reservoir. Despite the taste and odor, the water has been and remains safe to drink.

We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience. As we embark on the construction of a new water treatment facility, we will be working closely with experts to incorporate technologies needed to prevent this and similar issues in the future.

Please contact the Indian Brook Water Filtration Plant with any questions at 914-941-0128."

 

Yesterday, we went to the SPCA of Westchester to deliver the money raised by the Forest O'Fears team from their event last October.  We were thrilled that this hardworking team, led by Fern Quezada, was able to raise over $7,000 to help support the animals at the SPCA.  Huge thanks to Shannon Laukhuf and Lisa Bonnano from the SPCA of Westchester for being such excellent partners and for all they do to support our community and our community pets!  We were also joined by some new four-legged friends, Daphne (up front with Lisa) and Minnie (with Maddi right behind them).  Daphne is still up for adoption, but Minnie has found her forever home -- otherwise we would have brought her back to live on the 3rd floor at 16 Croton with us!  Check out the many animals up for adoption and learn more about their incredible mission at the SPCA of Westchester website.  

 

 

 

 

Finally, today is a bittersweet day in the Town of Ossining.  Today is our Budget Director, Maddi Zachacz's last day working for the Town.  Maddi has worked for the Town of Ossining for nearly 10 years as our Budget Director, Personnel Director, Aide to the Supervisor, and all around superhero to her colleagues.  We are truly going to miss her, and her dedication, creativity, passion, and the intelligence she brings to her job each and every day.  Maddi is going to be moving on to the Village of Ossining as Assistant Village Manager, and we know she will be amazing at this new responsibility.  And best of all -- she is not going far and the Ossining community will continue to benefit from her hard work. At Tuesday's Board Meeting, we presented Maddi with a proclamation recognizing her continued service to the Ossining community.  Today is Maddi Zachacz Day in the Town of Ossining -- a truly deserving honor!

 

 

 

The sweet part of this bittersweet day is that on Monday, my current Confidential Secretary, Victoria Cafarelli, will be stepping up into the role of Budget Director.  Victoria has been working in the Supervisor's Office since December of 2015 -- right before I took office as Supervisor -- and has been learning so much in her current role.  Maddi has been teaching Victoria all her tricks, so we won't skip a beat.  So if you see Maddi or Victoria around town this weekend, be sure to wish them both well.

 

 

 

 

The Town Highway Department would like to remind everyone that leaf pick-up season is over for the winter.  Please do not leave unbagged leaves to the curb for pick-up.  Instead, all leaves must be bagged and put to the curb on your assigned brush pick-up day. 

 

 

Also, Dale Cemetery Superintendent Pete Connolly would like to remind everyone to please pick up any seasonal decorations from Dale Cemetery or Sparta Cemetery by Monday, January 27th.  Otherwise, the decorations will be removed and disposed of by our Cemetery Staff.  If you have any questions, please call the Cemetery office at (914) 941-1155.

 

The Ossining School District's Saturday Explore and Learn series kicks off again for the winter session tomorrow, Saturday, January 11th.  Register now for the many offerings for your entire family.

 

 

 

 

Mark your calendar for Repair Cafe dates in 2020 -- the first is this Saturday!

 

 

 

 

 

Get ready for Eagle Fest with a free film screening of "Bird of Prey" at the Ossining Public Library on Saturday, January 11th at 2pm, sponsored by Teatown Lake Reservation.  This film by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology focuses on the Great Philippine Eagle and the efforts to save this species from extinction.  I have heard great things about the beautiful cinematography -- you won't want to miss this!

 

 

 

 

A book discussion group focusing on African-American authors meets at the Ossining Public Library on the 3rd Saturday of each month.  This month's book is Americanah by Chimandanda Ngozi Adiche, and the next meeting is January 18th at 3pm.  Next month's book is The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead -- get your copy reserved now at OPL!

 

 

Plan on joining the Briarcliff-Ossining Ministerial Society for a service remembering the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sunday, January 19th at 7:30pm at Star of Bethlehem Church.  This annual service will feature the theme of Renewal and Reconciliation with speaker Reverend Dr. William Shaw.  Reverend Shaw has experienced the power of renewal and reconciliation advocating for peace and acceptance through sectarian conflicts in Northern Ireland.  This is sure to be an inspiring evening honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King.

 

 

 

Another way to honor Dr. King is to attend the Cooperative Scholarship Fund Celebration and Tribute to Dr. King, to be held on Saturday, January 18th at 3pm at the Ossining High School Theater.  Donations will support the Cooperative Scholarship Fund, which goes directly to OHS students heading to college.

 

 

Assemblywoman Sandy Galef has her annual Town Meetings lined up for January and February, starting on January 25th at the Desmond Fish Library in Garrison at 10am and the Field Library in Peekskill at 1pm.  Assemblywoman Galef will also be more local to us at the Briarcliff Manor Library on Thursday, February 6th at 7pm. 

 

 

Save the date, Saturday, February 15th, for Gullotta House's 3rd annual Escape from Sing Sing Plunge!  Register now, or become a sponsor -- the proceeds fund the Gullotta House's many deserving causes.

 

 

 

--Dana

 

If your business, non-profit, or community group has an event that you would like to submit to be a part of the Supervisor's Update, please e-mail a flyer and brief description to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  We are happy to pass along events that provide a benefit to the community and support our local economy.  Thank you for helping us to highlight all the best Ossining has to offer!