Happy Humidity-Free Friday! We’re back to our regularly scheduled programming this week, as RiverJam returns to the Ossining waterfront at Louis Engel Park. The weather forecast predicts a beautiful evening, but be sure to follow @townofossining on Facebook and/or Instagram for the latest updates just in case!
The food truck lineup for tonight, starting at 5 PM, is as follows: Brothers Fish and Chips, Delicias Peruvian Kitchen, Homestyle Desserts and Creamery, Jegoma Food, New England’s Finest Lobster, Weenie Wagon, Bigfoot Creamery, Tacoish, La Bella Sophia Pizza and Rockland Kettle Corn. Captain Lawrence Brewing Company and Brooklyn Cider House will be joining Sing Sing Kill Brewery at the Craft Beverage Corral, and 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. Note that parking near the waterfront area is extremely limited on Friday evenings - you are likely to have more luck if you look for parking in the train station area before the overpass. If you need to drop your stuff and your family, do that, then park on the other side of the train tracks.
We’re excited to be joined by Marc Von Em at 7 PM! He’s played on some of the biggest stages in the world with some big name acts, and we are thrilled he’ll be returning to the 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, Keith Heilmann and John our fantastic sound guys, an our Town Parks foreman Mario Velardo and his crew. 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’s Fire Department parade was a big success! A brief spell of rain cooled things off a bit, enabling a lovely gathering highlighting the brave volunteers from around the region who keep us safe from fires and a variety of other hazards & threats.
The award winning float OFD designed and engineered was also appreciated by all.
In other Town news, we recently learned of an exciting grant opportunity available through New York State, called NY Forward. This program is very similar to the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which the Village of Ossining won in the last round, but is scaled down to meet the needs of communities without large downtowns, like more suburban and rural communities. After discussing with our grant writer and Town Planner, we think it is a good idea for the Town to put our hat in the ring for the Executive Boulevard/Stormytown Road area due to the potential for public and private investment in the near and long term that could be capitalized by matching state funds. We have submitted the letter of intent to apply, and the full application is due in September. Fingers crossed we can make the case to the state to help us bring in a couple million dollars to help improve this area of Town!
In climate resiliency news, we are continuing our public engagement around the Shoreline Revitalization Project. We need your input as we design a climate adaptive shoreline. Get the latest on this project and provide your input at the Shoreline Revitalization Project virtual open house website. The survey closes August 28.
Some news for landlords: Westchester County has adopted a new law regarding flood history disclosure. This new law requires that landlords provide prospective tenants (at commercial or residential properties) with a copy of the Flood History Disclosure Form. This form will detail whether the property has experienced flooding within the previous ten years. The Flood Disclosure law will take effect on Monday, August 15, 2022. A PDF copy of the Flood Disclosure Form can be found on a dedicated subpage of the County’s Planning Department Website, https://planning.westchestergov.com/flood. Landlords can reach out to the County’s Department of Planning with any questions at (914) 995-4400.
The County also announced some financial assistance for landlords this week, specifically small landlords maintaining affordable residential units. The Landlord Tenant Assistance Program (LTAP) will allow landlords who own eight units or less and maintain rent levels that are affordable to residents to apply for up to $25,000 per unit for repairs to their rental properties. To be eligible, landlords/owners must charge rents that are affordable to households earning between no more than 60% and 100% of the Area Median Income (AMI), and home improvements may include, but are not limited to, roof replacement, or upgrades to electrical, windows, accessibility ramps, plumbing and heating systems. With $10M available in funds, 400 units can be rehabilitated. More information can be found here.
Though monkeypox is not likely to become as pervasive a problem as COVID-19, it is important to learn more about it and take steps to contain its spread. Click here to read more information from the New York State Department of Health regarding the disease.
We are happy to report Westchester County is now able to offer free vaccines for those at higher risk of contracting the disease. This includes those who have traveled outside the US to a country with confirmed cases of monkeypox or where monkeypox activity has been ongoing, or those who have had contact with someone who had a rash that looks like monkeypox or with someone who was diagnosed with confirmed or probable monkeypox. Westchester residents can call Westchester Medical Center at (914) 326-2060 to schedule a vaccine appointment from Monday through Friday 9 AM - 5 PM. The Loft LGBTQ+ Community Center will also host monkeypox vaccination clinics on August 18th. Vaccines are free. You can sign up here, on the NYS Dept of Health website - if no appointments appear available, check back periodically. And stay tuned to the Westchester County Department of Health website for more opportunities.
Finally, for those voters who are registered with the Democratic, Republican or Conservative parties – remember to cast your votes in your party’s primary for the 17th Congressional District this August! Primary Day is August 23 and early voting starts tomorrow, August 13. Early voting dates and times are as follows:
- Saturdays, August 13 & 20 and Sundays, August 14 & 21 from 10 AM - 6 PM
- Monday, August 15; Wednesday, August 17; and Friday, August 19 from 8 AM - 4 PM
- Tuesday, August 16 & Thursday, August 18 from noon - 8 PM
The closest early voting location to Ossining is the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center at 95 Broadway, Ossining, but there are locations throughout Westchester where you can also vote. The deadline to mail in a request for an absentee ballot has passed, but you can request an absentee ballot in person now through August 22. If you have any questions, please visit the Board of Elections website at citizenparticipation.westchestergov.com or call 914-995-5700.
Speaking of the primary, because of it our August 23 Board meeting will be held at 8:30 AM. Additional notes regarding the remainder of our summer meeting schedule: the work session that would have been held on Tuesday, August 16 has been canceled. August 30 is a 5th Tuesday, so there will be no meeting that Tuesday. We will be back to our regularly scheduled meetings on Tuesday, September 6 with a Work Session.
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 keep cool and we will see you soon!
--Dana
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