Supervisor Blog

We have made it to another Summer Friday–get ready for more great tunes, yummy eats and that very special Ossining Waterfront vibe we’ve got going! Before getting into the administrative update, here’s your Ossining RiverJam news.

Tonight we have the following food vendors joining us at 5 PM: Brothers Fish and Chips, Cravin' Jamaican Cuisine, Delicias Peruvian Kitchen, Homestyle Desserts and Creamery, Jegoma Food, New England’s Finest Lobster, Weenie Wagon, Wrappers Delight, Wanna Empanada, Tacoish and Bigfoot Creamery. Peekskill Brewery and Forthright Cyder will be joining Sing Sing Kill Brewery at the Craft Beverage Corral. Also, the Chamber will once again host menus for some of your favorite local eateries in case you want to order delivery to the park. We will have a designated area to make that super easy and to support our local brick and mortar businesses.

We are in for an extra special treat at 7 PM, as Billy and the Showmen take the stage. This band has been getting audiences out of their seats and on their feet for five decades, and they have quite a resume. They were the back-up band for The Chiffons from 1973 to 1988, and at different points in time toured as the opening act for Jay Black and the Americans, the Four Tops, and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Billy and the Showmen have played all of the big venues on the East Coast including Madison Square Garden, the Omni in Atlanta, Rhode Island Civic Center, Long Island Coliseum and the Boston Garden - and tonight they’ll be here on stage at Louis Engel Park!

It takes a very talented and dedicated team to make events like this happen. A big round of applause for our Ossining RiverJam partners – Mike & Miriam Risko, Eric Gearity of Sing Sing Kill Brewery, Gayle Marchica and Johnny G of the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce, Jermain Smith of ENU Builds, Brian Sheridan of Hothouse Design, Recreation Superintendent Bill Garrison, our Town Parks crew, and of course, Keith Heilmann our fantastic soundman. And a huge THANK YOU to our event sponsors: New York Presbyterian, Gracelane Kennels, Bigfoot Creamery, Coral Sea Pools, Seiden Real Estate Team, Matero Fine Jewelry, PKF O’Connor Davies Accounting, who join the Town and Mike Risko Music, Sing Sing Kill Brewery, the Chamber of Commerce, and Ossining Recreation in providing the funds that make this event possible.

Last week, I participated in a meeting with our Planner, Valerie Monastra, and Victoria Cafarelli from my office to learn more about the prospective Clean Path New York project. At this time, Clean Path New York is proposing an approximately 175-mile underground/underwater transmission line that will transport up to 3,800 megawatts of new solar and wind power generated in New York State, increasing the reliability of the state’s transmission system and helping transition New York to a clean energy economy.  They are in the process of developing the siting for the transmission line, which will need to exit and re-enter the Hudson somewhere between Peekskill and Ossining.  We have asked the folks from this project to come speak before the Town Board, but there will also be open houses for the public to attend in Ossining on Tuesday, July 26 from 10:30am-12:30pm and from 4pm-6pm at the Ossining Public Library.  We encourage members of the public to attend to learn more. If you cannot attend in person, you can view the virtual open house here. I attended one of the open houses yesterday in Peekskill and I can see that it is a great opportunity to have one on one time with the project partners to get straight answers to questions you might have and to understand the details, so mark your calendars.  I anticipate they will also be adding more dates in other neighboring municipalities as well and the information they are presenting is also available on their website.  See below for more specifics.

We also have learned of an exciting program called Submerse NY, which is a program funded by FEMA with a focus on flood risk awareness through interpretive programming like art and other public events. We learned of this program via NYS Water Resources Institute, who inquired if the Town may be interested in hosting this free program. It would require participation from the Town and relevant stakeholders to brainstorm programming that would be impactful in terms of education on flood risk to the community. It seems like a very interesting and informative program, so I have let them know we are interested in participating, and will bring back more specific information to the community soon.  On the topic of flood resiliency and sustainable shorelines, we are gearing up for some more public input on our Climate-adaptive Design Studio Phase 2 project underway.  Stay tuned for more information to participate in an upcoming virtual open house! 

In sustainability news, at this week’s Town Board meeting, we held a public hearing on a local law to enable the Town to participate in the Westchester Power Opt-Out Community Solar program. The current version of the legislation came through Sustainable Westchester, and in its initial iteration will allow those who qualify for other assistance programs to participate in Community Solar and enjoy reduced costs for their electricity supply. We believe it will also become open to others as the program and the supply become more robust.  We anticipate adopting this local law at our next legislative session on July 26 and look forward to sharing more information about how Ossining’s residents can participate in the new program when it launches soon. 

In other news, on Monday I had the opportunity to recognize two very special people, Pete Connolly and Robert DiCioccio, who are celebrating (slightly belatedly!) 50 years of volunteerism to the Ossining Fire Department, both as members of Holla Hose.  Congratulations to Pete and Robert on this significant milestone– and for all of you out there, please join us in celebrating Pete Connolly Day on Saturday, July 16 and Robert DiCioccio Day on Sunday, July 17 in the Town and Village of Ossining!  

Pete is a little extra special in the Town as he is our elected Highway Superintendent and Superintendent of Dale Cemetery.   Celebrate Pete Connolly Day in the most fitting way possible - drive around the Unincorporated Town of Ossining and admire all the new street signs, guard rails, and other infrastructure improvements completed during his tenure.  And then make sure to give him a big THANK YOU next time you see him around Town!  

A quick note about an upcoming road closure. The Town of New Castle will be closing Hawkes Avenue from July 27th through August 2nd, excluding Saturday and Sunday, for the hours of 7am to 5pm to complete some repairs necessary for paving. A large excavator and other machinery will be working on the road.  Provisions for emergency vehicles will be made.

That’s all for now! For ideas for what to do this weekend and beyond, keep scrolling! A reminder about summer schedules for the Town. Summer hours started on July 1, with most Town offices (except for the Town Clerk) closing at 3:15pm on Fridays through Friday, September 2.  Please stay safe and healthy and we will see you soon!

--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! As discussed last week, the Supervisor’s Update will generally come out mid-day on Summer Fridays, so we can give you the most up-to-date RiverJam news as early as possible. Among other reasons, the food trucks are a bit fluid every week, and remain subject to change until the day of. We will share the best available information here and on our social media pages (@townofossining on Facebook and Instagram) as soon as we have it.

This week, the following trucks will be serving delicious food options: Brothers Fish and Chips, Cravin' Jamaican Cuisine, Delicias Peruvian Kitchen, Homestyle Desserts and Creamery, Jegoma Food, Paradise Taqueria and Birrieria, and New England’s Finest Lobster. Soul Brewing Company will be joining Sing Sing Kill Brewery at the Craft Beverage Corral. Also, the Chamber will host menus for some of your favorite local eateries in case you want to order delivery to the park! We will have a designated area to make that super easy and to support our local brick and mortar businesses.

We are excited to be hosting The 455s this week, who will start playing at 7 PM. Be there or be square!

As always, a huge THANK YOU to our partners in making Ossining RiverJam happen – Mike & Miriam Risko, Eric Gearity of Sing Sing Kill Brewery, Gayle Marchica and Johnny G and the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce, Jermain Smith of ENU Builds, Brian Sheridan of Hothouse Design, Recreation Superintendent Bill Garrison, and to our Town Parks crew for making the park space look and feel great, as well as Keith Heilmann our fantastic soundman. 

Last week’s return of Independence Day fireworks was a smashing success! It was wonderful to be together for this event for the first time since 2019. As I reflect on Independence Day, I think about all those in our community and our country who work hard every day to make each and every one of us a little more free. That includes our service women and men, elected officials, first responders, activists, and so many others.  We have just finished Pride Month and Juneteenth, celebrations which help us acknowledge the battles fought and won to ensure everyone can live freely and authentically in our country.  However, we have recently been reminded how fragile freedom can be, so we must remain steadfast in our work and advocacy to defend our independence against all threats.  For all of these reasons, it is important to gather and celebrate with our beautiful and diverse community - moments like this fortify us, helping us to work together to make our Town and our world a safer and better place to live, work, play, and just have fun.

Extra special thanks to our Ossining Police and Fire Departments and Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corps for being on hand to help keep everyone safe. As we enjoy these summer events, please be sure to follow all posted instructions and verbal directions from our fantastic first responders! 

In other news, though the pause on the Westchester Power program continues, Sustainable Westchester continues to help us and other local municipalities push forward with our efforts to combat climate change. Representatives from Sustainable Westchester also joined us at our June 21 meeting to talk about their efforts to get the program back up and running ASAP, and we have entered into a new Memorandum of Understanding with Sustainable Westchester to help facilitate that process. We are also exploring participation in their opt-out Community Solar program, and will hold a public hearing at Tuesday’s Town Board meeting concerning a new local law permitting us to participate. Our regular email with the Town Board meeting details and agenda will contain the Zoom link for the public hearing. 

Sustainable Westchester is also hosting a webinar on Tuesday, July 12 at noon to educate municipalities, school districts and affordable housing property owners on how to access state funding and technical assistance to support decarbonization of their buildings. If you’re reading this and fall into one of those categories, click here to register and learn more about your options! (For those who don’t already know, “decarbonization” refers to the process of reducing carbon emissions and capturing & storing that which can’t be avoided. Click here to learn more about decarbonization and why it’s important!) There is so much that municipalities can do to fight climate change, particularly with assistance from state government and partnerships like the Sustainable Westchester consortium. I am proud of the way we continue pressing forward on creative solutions to our greatest problems. 

Lastly, the Ossining Community Equity Task Force is wrapping up its 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge soon, but there is always more to talk about and do on this issue. You can peruse and complete the Challenge activities at any time, and feel free to join the new Task Force Facebook discussion group if you would like to talk with other local folks who are committed to ensuring that our diverse community also enjoys equity, inclusion, and justice. 

Here’s hoping you’ll be able to find some time to unwind and recharge on what should be a beautiful weekend! For ideas for what to do this weekend and beyond, keep reading. A reminder about summer schedules for the Town: summer hours started on July 1, with most Town offices (except for the Town Clerk) closing at 3:15pm on Fridays through Friday, September 2.  Please stay safe and healthy and we will see you soon!

--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 1st of July! An early Update today, so we can give you all your Fireworks & Food Truck Fridays/Summer Concert Series news. We are so excited to be celebrating the return of the celebration of our country’s birth with our Independence Day Fireworks at the waterfront TONIGHT! This year’s fireworks will be preceded by and followed with a musical performance by the one and only Pablito y su Latin Show. Major thanks to our partners in planning our newly re-branded Ossining RiverJam - - Mike & Miriam Risko, Eric Gearity of Sing Sing Kill Brewery, Gayle Marchica and the Chamber of Commerce, Jermain Smith of ENU Builds, Brian Sheridan, and Recreation Superintendent Bill Garrison. 

The food trucks for this evening will be Brothers Fish N Chips, La Bella Sophia Pizza, Kinwich, EMB Arancini Truck, Delicias Peruvian Kitchen, Bazodee Street Foods, New England’s Finest Lobster, Wanna Empanada, Cravin’ Jamaican Cuisine, Wrappers Delight, Weenie Wagon, Bubble Gum Party Entertainment, Rockland Kettle Corn, and The Blue Pig. Soul Brewing Company and Alternative Medicine Brewing Company will be joining Sing Sing Kill Brewery at the Craft Beverage Corral.

In other news, as you may have heard by now, this past Tuesday I won the Democratic primary to hopefully represent our district in the Assembly starting in January. I acknowledge this here to let you know that I do not plan on stepping down from my role as Town Supervisor prior to January 2023, and that whatever the outcome may be this November, I look forward to continuing to work hard on behalf of the Ossining community now and in the future. 

Earlier on Tuesday, I had the pleasure of joining Mayor Rika Levin and many Town and Village of Ossining elected officials and staff to unveil the official Mary Ann Roberts Entrance Hall at 16 Croton.  Honorable Town/Village Clerk Roberts retired in 2019 after close to 30 years of service to the Town and Village of Ossining.  She was also the Village’s first female mayor, and a Village Trustee, paving the way for so many inspirational women leaders in our community.  It was a great way to honor Mary Ann!

On a less fun note, unfortunately the Croton Gorge Unique Area has been closed for the season due to some property access issues.  The DEC will be working on a long term solution for people to access the Unique Area more safely, which will be released for public comment in the fall.  In the meantime, the Unique Area is closed and signs have been posted in the area and at Gerlach Park to inform potential visitors.  We went through this in 2020 when the Unique Area was closed due to COVID, and thanks to the NY/NJ Trail Conference Stewards, we were able to clearly inform people coming to the Unique Area. We thank you in advance for respecting the Unique Area and its needs.

A final note re: summer schedules for the Town. Starting Friday, July 1, summer hours will start for the Town, with Town offices (except for the Town Clerk) closing at 3:15pm on Fridays through Friday, September 2.  We will be closed on Monday, July 5 in observance of Independence Day, and Tuesday’s Town Board meeting is also canceled. 

We are grateful for all those who serve to protect our freedoms and independence and will continue to work hard to ensure those protections that were so hard won are in place for generations to come.  Enjoy the holiday weekend! For more ideas for what to do this weekend and beyond, keep scrolling.  Please stay safe and healthy and we will see you soon!

--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. 

Though national news gives us many reasons to feel angry, scared, and sad this week, happenings in the Town of Ossining continue to be a source of joy and pride.

The week started with a joyous Juneteenth celebration this past Sunday. Hats off to our Juneteenth Council, led by Joyce Sharrock-Cole, Althema Goodson and Diana Lemon, for putting on a spectacular festival! I along with my Town Board colleagues, Liz Feldman and Angelo Manicchio, were present to join in the fun and present certificates.

Two of the Town’s very own – Kevin Moore and Eddie Banta – were recognized at the Juneteenth festival.  Both Kevin and Eddie were recognized for being a part of the 40oz Crew, which steps in to help the community with various needs including meals and visits when someone is sick.  Kevin was also recognized with a Trailblazer award for being the first Black Foreman in the Town of Ossining.  Congratulations Eddie and Kevin for your well-deserved recognitions, and for all you do on a daily basis on behalf of the Town.

On Tuesday, we rang in the start of summer with another fantastic Make Music Day, thanks to Mike and Miriam Risko! I was on hand to present a proclamation to the Riskos for bringing such joy to the community, and to play a little guitar! 

On Wednesday, we celebrated the near-completion of the Morningside Drive repaving and curbing project by taking Assemblywoman Sandy Galef on a tour of the impacted area. I was joined by Town Board member Angelo Manicchio, Town/Village Engineer Paul Fraioli, and Highway Superintendent Pete Connolly. The cost of this project was partially offset by $120,000 in Multi-Modal funding from the Assemblywoman’s office. 

Phase one of this project was completed in the fall, including the installation of low-carbon concrete curbing to improve drainage and ensure the long term viability of the road infrastructure. 

Phase two of the project, to complete the milling and paving of the roadway from Chappaqua Road to the New Castle town line, will be complete in the coming weeks.

It’s important that our state legislators come to visit us, to get familiar with conditions on the ground and the solutions we need them to advocate for. For that reason, on Thursday, I took State Senator Pete Harckham on a tour of our North State Road businesses. Because of redistricting, Ossining will become part of the State Senate district Senator Harckham currently represents and seeks to continue to represent. He listened attentively to the concerns of local business owners and nonprofits, and to me as I explained our infrastructure needs on North State Road.

We also dropped off some shoes to the collection Club Fit has taken up to donate to Ukrainian refugees!

In other news, the Community Equity Task Force is continuing its 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, which started on Saturday, June 18. Join us as we read The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee and engage in a series of activities intended to deepen our understanding of and commitment to racial equity. No worries about jumping in late; all of the previous days’ activities are viewable on the page, and you can get started anytime. Follow along on Facebook, chat with other participants in the Challenge Facebook group (message the Equity Task Force page for an invitation), and receive weekly email recaps by joining our Google Group, . 

Lastly, one week from today (yes, next Friday will be July 1!) we’ll be celebrating the return of fireworks at the waterfront! This year’s fireworks will be preceded by a concert by Pablito y su Latin Show. Major thanks to our partners in planning our Food Truck Fridays and Summer Concert Series - Mike & Miriam Risko, Eric Gearity of Sing Sing Kill Brewery, Gayle Marchica and the Chamber of Commerce, Jermain Smith of ENU Builds, and Recreation Superintendent Bill Garrison. 

For more ideas for what to do this weekend and beyond, keep reading! Note that early voting continues this weekend for the Democratic and Republican primaries, and we have an early voting site here in Ossining at the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center on Broadway.  On the ballot this June is the Governor and Lieutenant Governor race for both Democrats and Republicans, and our local Assembly race for Democrats. Click here for early voting dates and hours. Primary Election Day is Tuesday, June 28, and polls will be open from 6 AM until 9 PM. Click here to find your Election Day polling place.

Note also that our next Town board meeting will be held on Wednesday evening (June 29) because our Town Clerk will be busy working the primary election Tuesday night. 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.