Supervisor's Update - March 25, 2022

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Last Updated: 25 March 2022 25 March 2022

Happy Friday! Hope you got to enjoy the lovely weather today!

 

This afternoon, I participated in a press conference with Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Briarcliff Mayor Steve Vescio, Briarcliff Manor Trustees Rhea Mallett and Ned Midgley, Ossining Village Trustees Omar Lopez and Dana White, Suzie Ross of Green Ossining, and representatives from County Legislator Catherine Borgia’s office, Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, Clearwater Sloop, Sierra Club, Federated Conservationists of Westchester and Save the Pocantico Lake. We gathered to call for increased funding in the state budget for climate resiliency.  Here in Ossining, we are acutely aware of the risks flooding and sea level rise pose for our community.  We were a Climate-adaptive Design host community in fall 2019 (you can learn more about that program online!) and we were recently awarded $125,000 in grant funding to further the student level designs developed in 2019 to more advanced engineering.  We all love our Hudson River waterfronts, but we need to do the work necessary to keep our shorelines sustained for generations to come.  

 

 

While Senator Reichlin-Melnick was in town, he left us with a really special gift - a giant check for $150,000 for improvements at Ryder and Cedar Lane Parks!  With this money, we are going to install a new playground at Ryder Park and restore the Ice House at Cedar Lane Park.  Thank you to Senator Reichlin-Melnick for supporting these much needed park improvement projects, we are very grateful for the funding.  We posed with our giant check in front of playground equipment at Louis Engel Park, similar to the equipment we are proposing to install at Ryder Park with this grant funding. 

 

Speaking of Louis Engel Park, the Town has been doing some DEC-grant funded tree maintenance work there. Trees were reviewed by the Town's Tree Warden and DEC Forester to determine their state of health before work started. Our Parks Department will be back to grind stumps in the coming weeks; they were left high so that they wouldn't be a safety hazard in the interim.  We are gearing up for community tree plantings very soon to keep our community forest healthy and thriving! Also happening at Engel: clean up of the waterfront, final fixes on the kayak racks, and the docks are now in.  More work still to be done but a lot was done this week. 

 

Lastly, we are approaching the end of our Comprehensive Plan drafting process. For those who are new to the Update, click here to read more about our Comprehensive Plan, called “Sustainable Ossining.” Our Comprehensive Plan will guide all land use planning and decision-making processes for the next decade; if you want to have a say, now is the time! We will be extending the public hearing to the April 12 meeting. This meeting will be hybrid - Zoom and in person with Zoom info posted to our website the Friday before.  The public hearings are always at the top of our agenda - right at 7:30pm - so if you would like to speak, please be sure to come on time.  If that timing is challenging for you, you can always provide written comment as part of the public record in between meetings (or in addition to meetings, if you have more to contribute) by emailing the Town Clerk at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We anticipate having a revised draft of the comp plan by the end of March, in advance of our April 12 meeting.  Stay tuned!

 

This coming Sunday, March 27, Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church is hosting a blood drive, from 9 AM - 3 PM. During the pandemic, the number of people who would normally donate blood drastically decreased. If you can, please help restore blood supplies to pre-pandemic levels! To sign up, call 1-800-933-2566 or visit www.nybc.org.donate. We post information about events like this in the Nonprofits & Charity section of the Update. 

 

 

Finally, last call for vendors who want to be part of the upcoming Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 23. Though the big day seems far away, the deadline to submit a vendor application is TONIGHT, March 25. Learn more at www.greenossining.org/earth-day-festival! 

 

 

We will see you soon - stay safe and be well!

--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 email a flier 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!

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The Town of Ossining is seeking part-time and seasonal laborers for the Highway Department!

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Last Updated: 22 March 2022 22 March 2022

The Town of Ossining is seeking part-time and seasonal laborers for the Highway Department!

Applications are available online. Interested candidates should submit an pdf Employment Application (199 KB) by email to Victoria Cafarelli (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or in person at 16 Croton Avenue by 4:30pm on Friday, April 1, 2022.

The successful applicant(s) will work under the direction of the Town’s Highway Superintendent and Foreman, and may perform tasks including, but not limited to:

EXAMPLES OF WORK: (Illustrative Only)
Performs routine cleaning, maintenance and repair assignments;
Loads and unloads materials, and equipment from trucks;
Receives and/or moves supplies, equipment, and furniture;
Cleans and operates equipment supplies and instruments in accordance with defined procedures;
Power jets sewers and cleans manholes and catch basins;
Digs and refills trenches for water lines;
Rakes leaves and hauls away rubbish;
Does rough cement finishing, rakes asphalt, sets forms for asphalt, does rough grading and otherwise assists in street maintenance activities;
Assists in the painting and erection of street signs;
Assists in painting lines on highway;
Cuts grass by hand or with motor driven mowing machines and cuts up trees that have been felled;
May perform other incidental tasks as needed.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND ATTRIBUTES: Ability to follow oral instructions; ability to get along well with others; ability to read, write, speak, understand and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the essential duties of the position; industrious in work performance; physical strength and agility; physical condition commensurate with the duties of the position. Valid NYS Driver’s License and/or CDL preferred.

This posting is for seasonal positions (40 hours per week, spring and/or fall season) and part-time positions (20 hours per week, year-round).

Starting hourly rate: $15/hour

The Town of Ossining is an equal opportunity employer.

Supervisor's Update - March 18, 2022

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Last Updated: 18 March 2022 18 March 2022

Happy Friday! Hope you’ve been able to enjoy the lovely temperatures and longer days this week, especially today!

 

Before getting into the administrative update for this week, I need to acknowledge a disturbing incident that occurred late last week. A hate symbol was found on the Park School playground. The Community Equity Task Force has issued a statement in light of this and other recent incidents that make clear the need for, to quote directly, “proactive and sustained commitment to racial equity work, both in and out of schools.” You can read the full statement here. You are invited to learn more and get involved in the Task Force’s work. Go to the Email Alerts signup page of the Town of Ossining website, enter your name and email address, and then click “Manage Subscriptions” to add yourself to the Community Equity Task Force list.  

 

In other news, we are approaching the end of our Comprehensive Plan drafting process! For those who are new to the Update, click here to read more about our Comprehensive Plan, called “Sustainable Ossining.” Our Comprehensive Plan will guide all land use planning and decision-making processes for the next decade; if you want to have a say, now is the time! The public hearing on the draft plan and objectives will be reopened during the March 22 Town Board meeting, as mentioned in a previous Update. It will likely be extended to at least the April 12 meeting. Both of those meetings will be held hybrid - Zoom and in person with Zoom info posted to our website the Friday before.  The public hearings are always at the top of our agenda - right at 7:30pm - so if you would like to speak, please be sure to come on time.  If that timing is challenging for you, you can always provide written comment as part of the public record in between meetings (or in addition to meetings, if you have more to contribute) by emailing the Town Clerk at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We anticipate having a revised draft of the comp plan by the end of March, in advance of our April 12 meeting.

 

This is the product of over 2 years of work - we started in January 2020! - with virtual and in person engagement, with hundreds of participants in Zoom meetings, surveys, pop-up events, posters, etc.  The draft plan has been available for public review since February 1.  Huge thanks to our Steering Committee – comprised of residents, business owners, and other stakeholders – for their careful review, outreach to the community, and input throughout the process.

 

In other sustainability news, this week’s Board meeting also featured an update on the Westchester Power Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Program from Sustainable Westchester. In addition to the environmental benefits of the 100% green option, this program has been particularly beneficial to Town residents in recent months as Con Ed electricity supply rates have skyrocketed, while those who are in the CCA have continued to enjoy fixed rates. 

 

 

We also began discussing possible balloon release legislation, to address the problem of balloons and other ceremonial objects being released in our parks and public spaces to commemorate, celebrate, or memorialize. As beautiful as these tributes are, the balloons or lanterns do eventually fall or end up in the water on land as litter,  and can harm living creatures and our ecosystem. Special thanks to Councilwoman Liz Feldman, who has become somewhat of a balloon expert in recent weeks! You can watch the meeting and these discussions here at our YouTube channel.

 

Congratulations are in order for a number of Ossinauts this week. Read all about it in the Congrats section of the Update! 

 

 

Lastly, calling all vendors who will want to be part of the upcoming Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 23. Though the big day seems far away, the deadline to submit a vendor application is next Friday, March 25. Learn more at www.greenossining.org/earth-day-festival!

We will see you soon - stay safe and be well!

--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 email a flier 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!

Subscribe to our email blast list and receive Town news and updates.