News

Welcome (or welcome back) to the Supervisor’s Update! Lots to share this week.

First, congratulations to all of the Ossining and Briarcliff businesses that were named among the Best of Westchester selections by Westchester Magazine! These include The Tasty Table, The Chocolate Chalet, Club Fit, Arketekcher, Coral Sea Pools, Terra Tile & Marble, Mike Risko Music School, and the Ossining Public Library. Every year there are more and more entries on the list, a testament to our Town’s forward progress.

Yesterday, the Town cut the ribbon on the new air source heat pump we’ve installed at Cedar Lane, funded by a grant from NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program. We were joined by Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Victoria Gearity from Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick’s office, Lauren Brois from Sustainable Westchester, Suzie Ross from Green Ossining, and Mitzi Elkes from our Environmental Advisory Committee.  You will also recognize a few friendly faces in Victoria Cafarelli from the Town Supervisor’s Office, Mario Velardo and Alban Sylaj from our Parks Department, and Marcus DaSilva who heads up our food scrap recycling program.

For those who are new, the Town has earned eligibility for grants like this by implementing high-impact clean energy actions. Thank you to our State Legislators Assemblywoman Galef and Senator Reichlin-Melnick and their colleagues for ensuring that the State budget includes funding for municipalities in this way.  It is so exciting to continue to improve our energy usage, particularly at Cedar Lane Park which is already home to so many of the Town’s sustainability initiatives, including the Food Scrap Recycling Program, electric vehicle charging stations, and Ossining’s Organic Community Garden in addition to thriving art programs.

You can read more about the pump and the event in this River Journal article. We are so pleased to continue to be a leader on environmental initiatives and showcase to the community how easy clean heating and cooling upgrades can be, as part of a critical effort to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. The Town also recently reaffirmed our commitment to meeting the goals of New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act by resolution, and this project moves us closer to those goals. 

We have also been working on concept designs for a new stage at Louis Engel Park as part of our request under the Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding.  We had the opportunity to share two concept designs with the Town Board and the public at Village Fair.  We are hopeful that this project will be included in the DRI funding requests, and we also plan on seeking additional grant funding under the Consolidated Funding Application in July to ensure this project is transformative for Ossining. Please be sure to complete the DRI Project Survey by the end of the weekend, and include the Louis Engel Park stage among your five choices!!! 

Speaking of Louis Engel, Ossining’s Juneteenth Festival will take place on Sunday, June 19 at Louis Engel Waterfront Park from 12 to 4 PM. The Town is proud to be a sponsor of this event recognizing this important date in American history, and we look forward to continuing to do so well into the future. 

The Community Equity Task Force will be kicking off a 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge this weekend, starting 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.  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, . 

During this weekend where we reflect on how far our nation has come and still needs to go with respect to equality, I hope you will join us in reaffirming the commitment to build a more equitable society here in Ossining and beyond.

On Tuesday, June 21, we’ll ring in the first official day of summer with Make Music Day! Visit the Make Music Ossining Briarcliff page on Facebook for a full line up of events happening around Town to mark this special day.  If you stop by 16 Croton at 3pm, you may just see your favorite Town Supervisor trying her hand at the guitar (fair warning!)  Wrap up your Make Music Day at 7:30pm at the Boathouse for Open Mic with the Mike Risko Band!  Shout out to Mike and Miriam Risko for organizing this fun event for the community every year.

Also on Tuesday, June 21: we will hold a Town Hall meeting via Zoom.  During Town Hall Meetings, we invite members of the public to make comment on the agenda items under discussion by the Board.  This deviates from our usual Work Session format, and we seek to put items on the agenda that are of interest to the community.  Among other topics on Tuesday evening will be a presentation from Sustainable Westchester on the pause in the Westchester Power program, and steps they are requesting municipalities take to end the pause.  To learn more about Westchester Power, don’t miss the information session scheduled for Monday, June 20 at 7pm via Zoom.  Registration information is below. 

With summer here, fireworks and Food Truck Fridays will be here before you know it! We are so excited for the return of fireworks, this year accompanied by the musical stylings of Pablito y su Latin Show. Major thanks to our partners in planning -  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. And major shoutout to Brian Sheridan for the suite of amazing graphics and posters he has put together!  

In other news, tomorrow (June 18) we enjoy the Portugal Day on Main Street. Hope to see you there! 

For more ideas for what to do this weekend and beyond, keep scrolling! Note that early voting starts this weekend for the Democratic and Republican primaries, and we’ll once again 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. 

Note also that Town Offices will be closed on Monday, June 20th in observance of Juneteenth. 

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 you had a great week. 

Here in the Town, we continue to march ahead toward a more sustainable future, even as obstacles appear in our path. Earlier this week we learned that due to volatility in the energy markets, Sustainable Westchester is having difficulty securing a new contract with a fixed rate similar to the ones we have enjoyed for the past six years in the program. Our 100% Green Community Choice Aggregation program will be paused over the summer while Sustainable Westchester watches the energy markets and enters into a competitive bidding process for the next fixed rate contract. Your service will not be disrupted, but customers will be transitioned to ConEd's standard supply and variable rates during the pause, beginning with the first billing cycle after June 30, the end date for the current contract. 

Affected participants will receive a notification letter in the mail from Sustainable Westchester in the coming days, with details about the electricity supply service pause. They will also receive a transfer notice from ConEdison indicating that they are receiving the standard electricity supply which is at a variable rate. 

There is no action needed from residents to remain in the program when the program restarts. When we have the official re-start date in place, during the month prior, participants will receive a re-enrollment letter with confirmation of their energy supply choice and the new rate. They will also receive instructions on how to change the energy supply option or opt-out of the program before the new rates are in effect. 

Residents can pursue their own energy supply if they prefer. However, if a resident elects to sign an agreement with a private Energy Supply Company (ESCO) during the pause period, they will no longer be eligible for Westchester Power and will not be automatically re-enrolled into the program when it restarts.

For more information and to get your questions answered, please join a webinar hosted by Sustainable Westchester on Monday, June 20th at 7 PM: https://tinyurl.com/upperrivertownsjune20. You can also visit www.sustainablewestchester.org/wp/conedterritory to learn more, or email or call 914-242-4725 during the hours of Monday through Friday 9AM-5PM with any questions.

The Town of Ossining was an early supporter of this program, and we eagerly await the return of 100% green energy at fixed rates. We also continue to advocate at all levels for a faster transition away from fossil fuels and support for households during this transition. 

To that end, at this week’s Town Board meeting, we heard from student representatives from Sunrise Westchester, a youth climate advocacy organization, which has issued a set of demands for action on climate. We discussed a resolution of support for these demands, many of which align with actions we have been taking here in the Town for many years. As regular readers of the Update know, the Town has received the NYSERDA Clean Energy Community designation, and has made significant progress toward achieving Climate Smart Community certification. We will vote on a resolution at the next legislative session. 

This morning, I participated in a Climate-adaptive Design stakeholder meeting, as we continue the project to envision adaptations to protect our shoreline in the face of climate change. 

I am very grateful for collaborations such as this one, in which community organizations like Green Ossining partner with municipalities and state agencies to help our communities pursue climate action and resiliency. We will achieve our goals by working together. 

On a brighter note, tomorrow is the Village Fair, back in person for the first time in two years! I hope to see you there. 

Note that the farmer’s market is cancelled for tomorrow, to make way for the Village Fair. For more ideas for what to do this weekend and beyond, keep reading! 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 first week of June! The unofficial start of summer is upon us. 

Flags were a big motif this week. On Monday, Memorial Day, we paid tribute to those who gave their lives fighting under the American flag. As usual, both Villages did an outstanding job of honoring the fallen. In the Village of Ossining, thanks go to the Central Committee of Organized War Veterans of the Town of Ossining, led by Michael G. O’Connor, as well as other local veterans organizations, the Ossining Fire Department, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, the Ossining High School Marching Band and the Ossining Boat and Canoe Club for a stellar parade. 

In Briarcliff, the American Legion Post 1054 deserves applause, with a special shoutout to Post Commander Larry Reilly. 

Assemblywoman Sandy Galef also joined us! In all, it was a beautiful day and a beautiful way to honor the fallen. 

Yesterday, we joined the Village to raise the Juneteenth flag in Market Square. 

Juneteenth is an important time to reflect on the complicated legacy of slavery in this country. And stay tuned; next week we’ll be announcing some new programming from the Community Equity Task Force that will debut Juneteenth weekend. 

Today, I joined the Village and the Ossining LGBTQ Alliance to raise the Pride flag in Market Square. In June and every month, we recognize and affirm the LGBTQIA+ community, and show our dedication to treating all residents equally and with dignity. Ossining flies the Progress Pride flag during the month of June to affirm all of the diversity within the LGBTQIA+ community and demonstrate our commitment to moving forward together. 

In other news, the assessment notices have landed in mailboxes, and we are receiving lots of questions. Last week we shared videos of Town Assessor Fernando Gonzalez explaining the documents property owners received on our Facebook and Instagram pages; click here to view it in English and here for Spanish. 

We encourage you to visit the Assessor’s page on the Town website to view property information, a neighborhood map and an interactive sales map display to put your own assessment into context. Note that a change in your property’s assessment does not necessarily indicate that your taxes will change, since the assessment is just one of a few factors that determine tax liability. On average, most properties in the Town of Ossining saw an 11% increase in assessed value. If the increase in your assessed value is at or around an 11% increase, the proportion of your tax burden is not likely to change significantly, nor will your annual tax bill.  

However, if you disagree with your full market value estimate, you are entitled to challenge your assessment through the Board of Assessment Review from June 1 through June 21st, 2022. Grievance applications (form RP-524) are available on the Assessor's page of the Town website. The Assessor's office is open from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday or you can e-mail your Grievance form and supporting documentation to . Please contact the Assessor's office directly at 914-762-8274 if you require more information regarding your 2022 tentative assessment. 

On a much more fun note, in exactly four weeks from today, we will enjoy the return of the Summer Concert Series, now called RiverJam! I’m pleased to be able to share the lineup of bands in this beautiful poster below, courtesy of our local design guru Brian Sheridan!  Huge shout out to our partners in this endeavor - the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce, Sing Sing Kill Brewery, and Mike and Miriam Risko.  We can’t wait for Summer Fridays. 

If you are a business owner or other organization looking to purchase sponsorship in summer events like the Ossining Village Fair or RiverJam, click here for the Chamber’s Sponsorship Application - the deadline has been extended to June 6. 

Tonight is our third First Fridays community crawl - get excited! Special shoutout to ENU Builds and the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce for pulling together this fantastic series.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

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. 

So ends another week! Hope you enjoyed the cooler weather and are ready for it to heat up yet again.

Unfortunately, we once again had occasion to observe a moment of silence at the TAown Board meeting this week. Tuesday’s shooting in Uvalde, Texas was disturbing and heartbreaking, especially given the age of most of the victims and coming so quickly on the heels of the shooting in Buffalo. It is long past time for our nation’s leaders to take concrete action to stop the proliferation of guns, particularly assault weapons that enable killers to take dozens of lives in a matter of minutes.

Here in Ossining, we continue to make progress toward a greener, brighter future. With our colleagues in the State legislature wrapping up the 2022 session next week, I have signed on to a few letters advocating for the passage of critical legislation to incentivize and in some cases, require, clean heating and cooling and renewable sources of electricity in buildings. These efforts will move us closer to meeting the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, but it is so important that these efforts are financially and legislatively supported by New York State to make the conversion easier for homeowners and local governments.  I am hopeful that our legislators will pull through to advance this legislation before the end of session.

We also continue important processes that maintain the fiscal health of our community. The Town has completed its annual assessment process for the 2022 assessment roll, and property owners will be receiving New York State Official Change of Assessment Notices in the mail soon. We continue to maintain accurate property assessments at 100% of full market value, as we have since 2016. Please contact the Assessor's office directly at 914-762-8274 if you require more information regarding your 2022 tentative assessment. We’ve also shared videos of Town Assessor Fernando Gonzalez explaining what’s coming in the mail on our Facebook and Instagram pages; click here to view it in English and here for Spanish.

We encourage you to visit the Assessor’s page on the Town website to view property information, a neighborhood map and an interactive sales map display to put your own assessment into context. Note that a change in your property’s assessment does not necessarily indicate that your taxes will change, since the assessment is just one of a few factors that determine tax liability. On average, most properties in the Town of Ossining saw an 11% increase in assessed value. If the increase in your assessed value is at or around an 11% increase, the proportion of your tax burden is not likely to change significantly, nor will your annual tax bill. 

However, if you disagree with your full market value estimate, you are entitled to challenge your assessment through the Board of Assessment Review from June 1 through June 21st, 2022. Grievance applications (form RP-524) are available on the Assessor's page of the Town website. The Assessor's office is open from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday or you can e-mail your Grievance form and supporting documentation to .

No one likes taxes, but without them we wouldn’t have the schools, services and amenities that help us maintain our standard of living. Speaking of amenities - Our Parks Department is in the process of installing a new gaming area next to the pavilion at Ryder. Soon you’ll be able to enjoy lawn games there - consider the pavilion for a summer party! 

Parks has also recently fixed a few of the beds at the Cedar Lane Community Garden! The wood was milled from trees that needed to be cut down in other parks. 

We also continue to seek, and receive, grants that offset costs to taxpayers. This week, the Town Board also signed a contract enabling us to use $250,000 in grant funding from NYSERDA. These funds will allow us to purchase an online permitting software system to make it easier for residents to apply for building permits and increase transparency of our permitting process.  The remaining funds will be used for clean energy projects–we have so many on our list! We are still looking over our options and where the money can be best spent to maximize value and positive impact for the environment.

Speaking of grant-funded projects: be sure to give your input on our shoreline revitalization project! 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, which is rapidly approaching!

This weekend we observe Memorial Day, a time to pause and remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.  This year, Ossining and Briarcliff celebrations will return to in person parades.  Ossining’s will step off at 9:30am at Croton Ave and Calam Ave, ending at Nelson Park where Ossining’s local veterans will hold a remembrance ceremony.  Briarcliff’s parade will take a new route this year, starting at Todd School at 11:45am, following Pleasantville Road to Law Memorial Park for a memorial service.  

Please note that Town Offices will be closed on Monday, May 30 in observance of Memorial Day. Please check the Waste & Recycling calendar (or better yet, download the Recycle Right app!) to see if there will be any changes to your pickup schedule given the holiday. We also have a 5th Tuesday in May, so we will not be back with a Town Board meeting until June 7. 

Memorial Day is also the unofficial start of summer, and the Spray Park in Engel Park is officially open as of now, for the long weekend, on schedule! (Once again thank you to our Parks staff for making sure it was ready to cool down our kids for the summer!) Cheers to the beginning of summer fun. If you are a business owner or other organization looking to purchase sponsorship in summer events like the Ossining Village Fair or our RiverJam concert series, click here for the Chamber’s Sponsorship Application - the deadline has been extended to June 6. 

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

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.