Dear Town of Ossining Residents,
While you probably are not thinking about the ‘business’ of Town government, please indulge us for just a moment so that we can introduce you to an important initiative that we are launching.
This past summer, we embarked on a special grant-funded project to explore our community’s reaction to an initial set of concepts designed to streamline and modernize portions of Town government. We have dubbed this "Project Forward! A Community Dialogue." Why? Because these are only concepts– ideas that we feel deserve your contemplation and input. We’ve put together a small website so that you can learn more about these concepts, take a confidential survey, and share your written thoughts with us.
Won’t you do so today? And encourage your family, friends and other Town residents to do the same? Thank you in advance for taking just a few minutes to do this! Visit Project Forward to participate and make sure your voice is heard.
Best,
Dana
It has come to our attention that there is some misinformation circulating with regards to the Reuben House,as the building is sometimes known, on the property of Cedar Lane Park, formerly the Kress Estate. This property has been in a state of disrepair for many years, and has been the subject of our attention as to how we could potentially restore it structurally and bring it back to its former beauty, with plans for a modern use.
Unfortunately, we have been advised by multiple restoration and building experts, as well as our own engineers and building inspector, that it is beyond saving, although it may be possible to save specific elements of it, such as the stone foundation, the stonework on the fireplace and chimney, and other salvageable building materials that may have antique value. We have also had the building tested for hazardous materials, the final phase of which was conducted earlier this year, and we are in the process of removing some of those materials as phase one of the overall remediation that needs to take place.
The work that is currently being done is to remove asbestos and debris from the house and property. We had also considered the possibility of offering the site to the Fire Department to use for training purposes, if it was in fact deemed by them to be safe, once the asbestos and debris was removed. However, we have been advised by hazardous materials specialists that this is not advisable at this stage. We will continue to keep the building boarded up, as it has been for many years per the Town’s building inspector, until such time as we can move towards phase two.
The Town has, and will continue to be, vigilant to ensure that any work done on the site or to the structure is done in accordance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations and to ensure the health and safety of the community and our staff.
Since the Ossining Police Department took over serving the Unincorporated Area in 2015, our residents and commercial property owners have made a fast friend of Kevin Sylvester, who at the time, was a Lieutenant in the OPD. When Chief Joseph Burton announced his retirement in mid-2015, Kevin was named as his successor by the Village Board of Trustees, and he has continued to be a tremendous asset to all of Ossining in this role.
Aside from being the consummate professional, the Chief (born and raised right here in Ossining) has dedicated himself to the community, and has demonstrated patience, reliability and integrity at every turn and especially in high-pressure situations. His willingness to communicate his enthusiasm for Ossining and for police work through all forms of social media is both unprecedented and widely-recognized (he has won the department accolades on that front as well), and I know I speak for my colleagues on the Town Board and for all of our Department Heads when I say that we are proud to have him as a co-worker and lucky to call him a friend.
Why all the gushing? Our Chief, the youngest police officer to be named Chief of Police in Westchester County, has been named one of the Business Council of Westchester's Rising Stars for 2018, part of this year's class of their "40 Under 40" business professionals. This is quite an honor, and a well deserved one at that. Please join us in congratulating Chief Kevin Sylvester on this incredible accomplishment-- all of Ossining is made stronger by your service.
--Dana
As is typical for this time of year, we're all getting busier and it can be tough to keep track of where you are supposed to be-- for several years, the Town of Ossining, along with many of our municipal partners, school districts, libraries, and organizations have partnered with Burbio to give you a free, "one stop shopping" kind of experience.
With Burbio, you can select calendars to follow, create a personalized event feed, sync events to your Google or iPhone calendars instantly and get notified when things change! Sign up at: www.Burbio.com or download the app for iPhone or Android.
If you are involved in a non-profit group or organization and want to get your events on Burbio, please contact: .
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