Supervisor Blog

‘Tis the season! Sending today’s message a little early with an invitation to join us for the annual Christmas Tree lighting in Market Square, taking place at 5:45 PM tonight. There will be performances by our local schoolchildren as well as fan favorites the Mike Risko Band, followed by the lighting itself and a visit from Santa, set to the musical stylings of DJ Johnny G! 

And save the date for our local menorah lighting, coming up on Tuesday, December 20 at 6 PM, also in Market Square. 

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Here in the Town, we held a “Townsgiving” dinner to celebrate the season and honor our recent retirees, including our Assessor Fernando Gonzalez for his 10 years of service, and John Hamilton, our Building Inspector who has served the Town for 20 years.

We also took a moment to recognize Budget Director Victoria Cafarelli for her many contributions to the Town over her 7+ years serving in various roles, writing grants, pinch-hitting as Town Clerk, and basically making all of the many pieces fit together. She has been such an incredible asset in the Supervisor’s office, and I know she will continue to offer so much to our community. 

It was a great opportunity to be together, particularly after two years of holiday gatherings being postponed or altered due to COVID, and with so many changes on the horizon for 2023. 

The Town was not the only municipality handing out honors this week! Westchester County held its Senior Citizen Hall of Fame ceremony earlier today on Zoom, and four Ossining residents were among those celebrated. Congratulations to author Sarah Bracey White, who was among two receiving top honors, as well as Honorable Michael G. O’Connor, former Town Highway Superintendent; Honorable Mary Ann Roberts, former Town/Village Clerk (and first female Village Mayor!); and Francine Vernon, former School Board Trustee (among her many advocacy roles). Our community is richer for their many contributions over the years, and we are glad to see them receive recognition. 

Earlier this week was Giving Tuesday, and we took the time to highlight some local nonprofits that support the Ossining community on our Facebook and Instagram pages. If you are in a position to be able to make donations, please consider looking locally first! Like Small Business Saturday, dollars donated here support our local economy and help our community thrive. 

If you’re looking to have some fun with your donation, consider joining Gullotta House for Casino Night, coming up next Friday, December 9 from 6-9 PM!

If you have items to donate, please consider supporting one of the many local holiday drives. For our part, we are hosting a Toys for Tots box here at Town & Village Hall (16 Croton Avenue)! 

If you’re in need of generosity as the temperatures continue to drop, help is available for your home heating costs. The New York Public Service Commission expects heating costs to rise by at least 20% this winter, which will undoubtedly be a huge burden for many households. If you are anticipating difficulty with paying your heating costs, check out the New York State Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). HEAP can help eligible households with assistance to pay their energy bills this winter.  Learn more about this program and other ways to reduce your heating costs by visiting www.ny.gov/heat. 

If you are low-income and behind on your bills, join the Public Utility Law Project & Communities for Local Power for one of their workshops to learn more about your utility’s low-income bill discount program and New York State’s Electric and Gas Debt Relief Program. There is an in-person session taking place next Thursday, December 8 from 5-7 PM at the Newburgh Free Library, and an online session taking place on Friday, December 9 from noon-1 PM. Click here to register for one of the sessions.

During the workshop, advocates will help you check your bill to see if you’re enrolled in your electric/natural gas company’s low-income monthly bill discount program. Receipt of that monthly bill credit also makes you eligible for a state program that will eliminate any utility debt accrued through May 1st, 2022. For the in person session, there will be snacks, free filing assistance, and free postage to send in your application! The deadline to enroll in the Electric and Gas Debt Relief Program is December 31st, 2022.

That’s all for this week! For upcoming events and more, keep scrolling. We will see you soon - till then, be safe and healthy!

--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 complete this form. 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. 

Happy Friday! Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm as the temperatures have begun dropping this week. 

Big news on the e-bikes front this week. Congratulations to the Village of Ossining for winning one of the grand prizes in NYSERDA’s Electric Mobility Challenge for Project MOVER! The three-year, $7 million grant will enable the Village, the Town and surrounding communities to develop a system that will put e-bikes at the disposal of residents and visitors seeking an alternative mode of transportation. State Senator Pete Harckham, County Executive George Latimer, County Legislator Catherine Borgia, Deputy Supervisor Liz Feldman, Village of Tarrytown Mayor Karen Brown, Village of Croton Mayor Brian Pugh, Ossining Trustee Dana White, Tarrytown Trustees Thomas Mitchell, David Kim, Effie Philipps-Staley, Dobbs Ferry Trustee Nicole Sullivan, Town Clerk Sue Donnelly and Highway Superintendent Pete Connolly joined me and Village Mayor Rika Levin for the announcement. Representatives from Acton Bikes and partnering organizations IFCA, Neighbors Link, Hudson Link, Open Door Family Medical Centers, Green Ossining, the Ossining Public Library, Ossining Police Department, OVAC, and the Village EAC were also in attendance.

You can read more about the program and grant here. The Village will be hosting a meeting about Project MOVER on Wednesday, November 30 at 7 PM at the Ossining Public Library; be sure to join to learn more!

It’s hard to believe that next week is already Thanksgiving! As Thanksgiving approaches, so does holiday shopping season. As we have in the past, the Town of Ossining is encouraging everyone to shop local and support Small Business Saturday, coming up on Saturday, November 26. 

The Ossining Small Business Scavenger Hunt is currently underway and will run through November 29. The more you shop, the more chances you get to win a basket of goodies from Ossining businesses! The greatest prize of all, of course, is a thriving local economy. Pick up a Scavenger Hunt card at any participating business, or click here to access the Facebook event.  Participants include Sing Sing Kill Brewery, Mike Risko Music, Hudson Valley Books for Humanity, First Village Coffee, Penny & Ting, Melita’s Home, The Tasty Table, and many many others.

Get into the Shop Small spirit early with the Festive Fair at Holbrook Cottage this weekend, benefiting Ossining Children’s Center!

Melita’s Home will be hosting a local artisans pop-up market on Small Business Saturday and Sunday, November 27 - a great way to support small businesses and local artists with your holiday shopping.

If you’re able, please consider donating to one of the local toy and winter clothing drives. We are also hosting a Toys for Tots box at Town & Village Hall (16 Croton Ave.)

As we continue preparing for 2023, we encourage members of the public to review the 2023 tentative budget on the budget office page of our website. We also invite you to join the Town Board for a public hearing on the budget, scheduled for 7:30pm next Tuesday, November 22 via Zoom and in-person at the Ossining Municipal Building at 16 Croton Avenue. Zoom details are as follows: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87069189290

Or Telephone:

US: +1 929 205 6099

Webinar ID: 870 6918 9290

Public comment will be taken at the Public Hearing, by phone at (914) 762-6001, or by email to the Town Board at .

That’s all for this week! For upcoming events and more, keep scrolling. Note that Town offices will be closed next Thursday and Friday in observance of Thanksgiving, and next Friday there will be no Supervisor’s Update. Waste and recycling pickup will be impacted by the holiday; consult the calendar on the Waste and Recycling page of our website or, better yet, download the Recycle Right app if you haven’t already! This is the best way to stay attuned to changes in the waste and recycling schedule. Links to download the app are also available on the Waste and Recycling page.

We hope you enjoy the holiday! If you’re in need, consider joining Gullotta House for Thanksgiving dinner at St. Ann’s on Sunday, November 20th between 1:45 and 6 PM.  

We will see you soon - till then, be safe and healthy!

--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 complete this form. 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. 

Happy Friday! Lots to report this week. First, a word of thanks to the Ossining Central Committee of Organized War Veterans for holding their annual Veterans Day ceremony and helping the Town and Village honor those who risked their lives for our freedom and safety. 

It was especially meaningful to hear former Congressman Joe DioGuardi speak of the many Black and African American heroes from WWI and II who he helped receive the Medal of Honor who had gone unrecognized. 

I look forward to hearing and helping with more of those in the future. We are grateful to all those who have served and continue to serve us all. 

Next, I would be remiss if I did not pause to acknowledge and thank the voters of the 95th Assembly District for electing me to be your next representative. I am humbled by this vote of confidence, and I look forward to representing our communities in Albany starting in January.  Even if you did not vote for me in this election, please know I am committed to being a dedicated and effective representative for each and every resident of AD 95, from here in Ossining, up along the Hudson River to Cold Spring, and east to Yorktown.  I will continue to be dedicated to my role as Town Supervisor until December 31, and have begun assisting the Town with transition planning. The Town Board will have some announcements soon regarding a plan to ensure that the operations of the Town remain smooth and consistent into 2023. 

We are also fortunate that we will continue to have dedicated, experienced and competent representation in the State Senate, as Senator Pete Harckham also won his election to represent this district. And, the Environmental Bond Act passed! This will enable the state to spend $4.2 billion on a variety of projects to promote clean air, clean water and green jobs. Very good news for the state. 

And congratulations to our very own Town Council Member Jennifer Fields-Tawil for her successful win of the remaining 3 years of the term she was appointed into. She has hit the ground running and will continue to represent the Town well and especially as a many-year resident of the Unincorporated Town. Kudos to Village of Ossining Mayor Rika Levin and Trustees Dana White and Manuel Quezada for also successfully securing additional two year terms. We are grateful for their continued service to the public! 

In other news, we continue to plan ahead for next year. At next week’s Work Session, our Budget Officer Victoria Cafarelli will deliver a presentation on the 2023 Tentative Budget in advance of the public hearing on the budget, to take place the following week. Click here for information about next week’s meeting, including Zoom details. 

We encourage members of the public to review the tentative budget on the budget office page of our website. We also invite you to join the Town Board for a public hearing on the budget, scheduled for 7:30pm on Tuesday, November 22 via Zoom and in-person at the Ossining Municipal Building at 16 Croton Avenue. Zoom details are as follows: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87069189290

Or Telephone:

US: +1 929 205 6099

Webinar ID: 870 6918 9290

Public comment will be taken at the Public Hearing, by phone at (914) 762-6001, or by email to the Town Board at .

As budget season continues, so does cold and flu season. Make sure to get your flu shot to be protected against the flu this season, in addition to the new COVID-19 booster which protects against the original strain and Omicron strain of the virus.  COVID vaccines are offered at OVAC on Fridays; walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are preferred.  Make your appointment at www.ossiningvac.org.  OVAC is not yet offering flu vaccines, but flu vaccines are available locally at most pharmacies and healthcare providers. 

Speaking of OVAC, they recently got a lovely shoutout in the local press from Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, who praised them for their tireless efforts to keep us and our surrounding communities healthy and safe. Click here to read his letter to the editor. Thanks for once again making us proud! 

It is also getting to be the time of year when we switch our thermostats back to heat.  The New York Public Service Commission expects heating costs to rise by at least 20% this winter, which will undoubtedly be a huge burden for many households. New York State Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) can help eligible households with assistance to pay their energy bills this winter.  Learn more about this program and other ways to reduce your heating costs by visiting www.ny.gov/heat. 

That’s all for this week! For upcoming events and more, keep scrolling! We will see you soon - till then, be safe and healthy!

--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 complete this form. 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. 

TGIF! Hope everyone has had a great week. 

Good news from the County; County Executive George Latimer has announced a tax holiday on home heating fuels this winter, to help defray the fluctuating costs. The County Executive came to Ossining to announce the measure; I was glad to be able to join him, along with Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins, our County Legislator, Catherine Borgia, and Ossining Village Trustee Omar Lopez. Click here to view the press conference and click here to read more about the measure. 

Though energy prices, particularly for fossil fuels, are mostly beyond the control of local and county officials, we will still look for ways to help our communities with rising costs. One reason we are keen to shift to renewables here in the Town of Ossining is that most renewable energy sources now cost less than fossil fuels. Moving toward renewables is not just the right thing to do for the planet; it’s the right thing to do for our household budgets. 

Speaking of budgets: budget season continues, this week with our meetings between the Town Board and the Town’s department heads. Thank you to everyone who has participated thus far. We encourage members of the public to review the tentative budget on the budget office page of our website. The public is also invited to join the Town Board for a public hearing on the budget, scheduled for 7:30pm on Tuesday, November 22 via Zoom and in-person at the Ossining Municipal Building at 16 Croton Avenue. Zoom details are as follows: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87069189290

Or Telephone:

US: +1 929 205 6099

Webinar ID: 870 6918 9290

Public comment will be taken at the Public Hearing, by phone at (914) 762-6001, or by email to the Town Board at .

Another important meeting held this week was last night’s Ossining Shoreline Revitalization community meeting.  The design team from HDR presented draft designs which would make the Ossining waterfront more resilient in the face of climate change, flooding, and sea level rise.  This project is phase 2 of the Climate Adaptive Design Studio, which began in fall 2019 with designs developed by landscape architecture graduate students from Cornell University.  Informed by extensive community feedback throughout the process, the designs aim to be cost effective and implementable.  Last night’s meeting was an opportunity for the community to learn more about the draft designs and provide additional feedback before the designs are finalized as part of this phase of visioning a more resilient waterfront.  Stay tuned for more on this project! 

Speaking of environmental protection, Westchester County Government recently released an excellent video reminding everyone to flip over their ballots when they go to vote in this year’s election. The flip side of the ballot contains a question about whether or not to pass New York’s Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. If “Yes” wins, the $4.2B Bond Act will fund restoration and flood risk reduction, climate change mitigation, open space land conservation, recreation and water quality improvement, and resilient infrastructure. Click here to watch the video, and remember to flip your ballot! 

The Town Board has issued a resolution in support of the Environmental Bond Act, and I recently wrote a letter to the editor in support of it; click here to read my letter about why I voted yes and hope you will too! This week I also joined the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, Scenic Hudson, and representatives from a variety of local labor, health, business, education, civic and environmental groups for a rally to show support for the measure and draw attention to it.

We only have one planet, and we’re lucky to live in a particularly pretty part of it here on the Hudson River. Please remember to flip your ballot and vote to protect our beautiful home!

Early voting continues this weekend, and we once again have an early voting location here in Ossining, at the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center. Click here for details on additional locations, if another Westchester County location would be more convenient for you. Polls will be open tomorrow and Sunday from 10 AM until 6 PM. Tuesday, November 8 is Election Day; polls will be open from 6 AM until 9 PM. You can click here to look up your election day polling place if you’re unsure where it is. You can use the same link to check on the status of your absentee ballot, if you have returned one.  

For fun things to do after voting, keep scrolling! Ossining First Fridays returns tonight - be sure to check it out! 

Note that next week’s regular Town Board meeting has been rescheduled to Thursday, November 10, because of Election Day. Note also that the Highway Department will be closed on November 8 and November 11, but the waste and recycling schedule will remain the same for next week. 

We will see you soon - till then, be safe and healthy! And don’t forget to vote! 

--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 complete this form. 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.