‘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

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