Happy Friday! Hope the week has treated you kindly.
I started this week with a heavy heart due to the shooting in Buffalo. At this week’s board meeting, we observed a moment of silence for all of the victims. This tragedy is a reminder of the fact that white supremacist extremists are the number one terrorism threat in this country. We must, at all levels of government, wholeheartedly reject racism and hate in all its forms and prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in schools and communities. We also need to enact common sense gun reform at a federal level and strengthen existing laws here in New York State. I applaud the Governor’s recent executive order intended to address domestic terrorism here in New York. Our Community Equity Task Force has also been working on some new programming, including the development of a DEI strategic plan for the community, which I will share more about in an Update in the near future. Let us not allow this tragedy to pass us by without taking meaningful action to ensure these acts of violence are prevented here and nationwide.
Here in the Town, we are gearing up for summer, and in particular, the return of Food Truck Fridays and the Summer Concert Series, which we have renamed Ossining RiverJam to fully encompass and encapsulate the vibe of Summer Fridays at the waterfront. I am so grateful to the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce, Sing Sing Kill Brewery, Mike Risko Music, Recreation Department Superintendent Bill Garrison, Brian Sheridan from Hothouse Designs, and most recently Jermain Smith from ENU Builds for helping the Town make these amazing moments possible.
There is really nothing like food, drinks, music and dancing as the sun sets on the Hudson River on a balmy summer night. And with the return of Independence Day fireworks, the Ossining waterfront will definitely be the place to be this summer! We are excited to use the Gatherboard Jermain has brought to our attention as another resource and go-to place for finding and promoting all the wonderful things going on around Ossining.
In more good news, as the weather has been warming up, we’ve been able to resume a number of improvement projects. Our Parks department recently dug trenches in preparation for installing an air source heat pump at Cedar Lane Arts Center, and the pump was powered on for the first time today. Cedar Lane will now have more energy efficient heating *and* cooling – there was no AC before. We're grateful for the NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities grant that is enabling us to make this sustainable improvement!
The parking lot at Ossining Boat and Canoe Club was washed out due to flooding during Tropical Storm Ida. Our Parks Department has made some temporary repairs there as well. We are seeking funding from FEMA for a mitigation project to re-pave this lot with improved drainage so it can be more resilient against future flooding and sea level rise.
Parks Foreman Mario Velardo also recently met with volunteers from NY/NJ Trail conference to scope out trail work that will begin soon to connect an existing trail network at Ryder Park!
As you know, we are all about using grant funding to make improvements throughout the Town, to offset the cost to taxpayers. Keeping that in mind, please be sure to give your feedback on the proposed Downtown Revitalization Initiative projects, including the Town’s proposal for a state of the art performance space at Louis Engel Park. Today is the last day to submit feedback via the form, if you haven’t already done so!
And also be sure to give your input on our shoreline revitalization project, funded by a Department of Environmental Conservation grant! Let us know what you enjoy about the waterfront and how we can design it to be more resilient using this survey link. This survey closes at the end of May.
It’s going to be a hot weekend, with lots of fun things to do! Unfortunately, the splash pad will have to wait owing to repairs that could not be squeezed in last minute in order to respond to the 90 degree heat. It will officially open on Memorial Day, on schedule. If you’re looking for a place to beat the heat, the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center will be open regular hours, with open swim on Saturday from noon - 5:45 PM, and Sunday from noon-2:45 PM.
For more ideas for what to do this weekend and beyond, keep scrolling! We will see you soon - till then, be safe and healthy!
--Dana
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