Even though the snow is done falling, it is still awfully crisp out there. I want to offer special thanks to our Town Highway and Parks crews and the DPWs in both of our Villages for ensuring that our residents and first responders could get around safely. It was a tough storm to deal with due to ice, wind, and cold temperatures, and I think you will agree that they battled it admirably.

First and foremost, if you aren't doing anything tonight, I would strongly recommend that you attend the Ossining Documentary and Discussion Series' "The Hudson River At Risk" event tonight (Friday, February 10th at 7PM at the Ossining Library), where they will be sharing three short (and timely) films followed by a panel discussion. Come learn about how pipeline projects, the proposed anchorages and contamination have the potential to affect our river and all who enjoy it, and what you can do to help.

Before I touch on this coming weekend's other events, I wanted to share with you some of what we've been up to in the Town over this past week. When we last spoke, I was en route to join many friends and neighbors at Market Square for a Unity Vigil. I was so very pleased to see such a fantastic turnout that was also incredibly representative of Ossining's diverse population. Although the weather was freezing, the crowd continued to grow as I was joined by Councilwomen Liz Feldman, Kim Jeffrey and Karen D'Attore, as well as Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Assemblyman David Buchwald, Westchester County Legislator Catherine Borgia, Mayor Victoria Gearity, Village Trustee Rika Levin, and dozens of other community leaders, all coming together for the sole purpose of demonstrating how, regardless of political persuasion, that we recognize that we are stronger together than we will ever be apart. I was invited to speak, and I wanted to share my thoughts with those who were unable to attend, which I read to the crowd in both English and in Spanish.

"We are one Ossining!

Somos Un Ossining!

We are special because of the fabric of our individual lives coming together here in harmony

We are interesting, intelligent, and international

We work together to improve our lives and the lives of our neighbors, sisters, brothers and friends.

We are beautiful because of our colors.

Because of our religions.

Because of our diversity.

Because of our love and respect for one another.

We have wonderful schools, parks, businesses.

We have crafts people, boaters, professionals, entrepreneurs, and teachers, and so many more.

We have love.

This is what makes us rich.

This is what makes us powerful.

We believe in our diversity and we embrace it so that the tides of the Hudson on our grounds will raise all ships.

We Represent. 

Let our passions, let our love for each other, let our respect for one another raise our ships and those of our neighbors and shine. 

We are strong because we are one Ossining. Somos un Ossining.

Let's show the world why America is Great because of all our Ossining's by being who we are, every day, no matter what. And loving it."

My office has also been working with Sustainable Westchester to get moving on our newest "green" initiative, which involves bringing electric cars and trucks into our fleet, putting in solar charging stations, and finding a place for solar panels to help offset the Town's electric bill. We are hoping to report more details after we have finalized the logistics. There are a ton of incentives and grant funding out there for these kinds of projects, not to mention the long-term savings that come from a lower dependence on fuel and the benefits to our environment.

Our Town Board Special Meeting and Work Session on Tuesday evening was, as promised, action-packed. Aside from the continuation of our Public Hearing on Local Law #1 ( click here to see some of the adjusments we have made with input from the public and the various stakeholders so far) and the adoption of Local Law #2 (extending the development moratorium), we also reviewed some new applications for Park use with Superintendent of Recreation Chris Soi, which we are scheduled to adopt on Tuesday morning at our next meeting (16 Croton Avenue on Tuesday, February 14th, 8:30AM). We also had a long conversation about our capital plans and we feel we are moving in a positive direction. Between utilizing available fund balance and our "in lieu of parklands" monies, we will be able to significantly decrease the size of the borrow while still getting our open spaces looking their best. This is an exciting step in what has been a long process, and we are confident that by this time next year, our Parks and Dale Cemetery will be looking better than ever. You can check out the presentation we prepared for the Town Board here.

Our Parks crew is also hard at work getting the Shine House (and the Ice House) ready for its grand re-opening this Spring. We are still planning this event, but we are not just talking about a ribbon cutting. Be prepared for an exciting day in our newest recreation space that just so happens to have the most exceptional views around.

Speaking of our Parks, we are ramping up for our second year of Mind, Body, Spirit- Ossining and want to hear from you about what you loved and what we can improve this time around. If you participated, please take a few moments to complete our survey. We are here to make the best possible programming available for you, so tell us-- how did we do?

Finally, we are working towards getting photos of all of our Town Department Heads posted on the Town website. With the help of Michael G. O'Connor, we did an extensive photo shoot a few weeks back (see below) and I'm pleased to share that most department pages now feature the opportunity to recognize the folks who keep this place running. We still have a few who have yet to model for us, but hopefully we will have the project completed by month's end.

There are a ton of great events going on in Ossining this weekend, including the annual favorite Eagle Fest! You can find a schedule of the day's events here.

I hope to see you out and about in Town this weekend. Don't forget to pick up something for your honey, Valentine's Day is on Tuesday-- even if you aren't exchanging gifts, a home cooked meal with fresh ingredients from Down to Earth Market is a gesture they won't soon forget. You can check them out at their indoor Winter location at the First Presbyterian Church on South Highland every Saturday through April from 9AM to 1PM; Good Shepherd Distillery will be on site with their special fruit brandies, so you can treat yourselves to this awesome Valentine's Day cocktail to make your day even sweeter.

--Dana

The Town is getting ready to leave for a three day weekend in honor of President's Day, and before I tell you about our week, I want to share some interesting events related to presidents and our local history.

I would also encourage you to check out the Gallery outside the Budarz Theater at the Ossining Public Library for a peek at "Me and My Presidents," a collection of presidential memorabilia compiled by local history buff William Reynolds. Although the installation runs through February 28th, the Library will host an Opening Reception on Sunday, February 19th between 2 and 4PM, light refreshments will be served.

This past Monday, my office spoke with Superintendent of Recreation Chris Soi and our Parks Foreman Mario Velardo to continue planning the grand re-opening of the Shine House in Cedar Lane Park. Just in case you haven't been following along, this is a project that has been going on for many years. Longtime residents may remember when the Town of Ossining, under Supervisor John Chervokas, purchased the land that is now Cedar Lane Park from the 52 Association, an initiative that more than doubled our acreage of parkland while also becoming one of the area's most beloved open spaces. When the Town purchased the property, the area that is now the Organic Community Garden was instead an in-ground swimming pool, and the Shine House served as the pool house. The pool was dealt a fatal blow in Hurricane Floyd and was demolished, but the pool house remained and, as it was not being regularly used, it began to deteriorate. Seeing a unique opportunity to add to our recreational facilities, previous Town Boards began to rehab the Shine House, with the majority of the labor being done with by our talented Parks staff. (I stopped by earlier today to check on the progress and found Mario and Juan hard at work, taking care of last minute touches. As you can see, the finishes are looking very nice. They stopped for a few minutes to show us around and pose for this quick photo.)

With that brief look back into history as perspective, I am sure you can appreciate why we are so very proud to announce the grand re-opening celebration, which is scheduled for Friday, April 21st. Our hope is to offer tours of the building, while also offering a program for children and adults to introduce them to our new pottery studio and flex space, and possibly also kicking off Mind, Body, Spirit-Ossining for the 2017 Spring/Summer season (speaking of which, have you filled out our survey yet?) We will also, very shortly, be calling for entries for a contest in which the winner will be producing a one-of-a-kind art piece to be mounted in the Shine House entry and welcome everyone to the building. So, consider this your invitation! We will have more details in the coming weeks, and we can't wait to see you at the Shine House!

On Tuesday, the Town Board had a short morning meeting to pay our bills and conduct some pressing business, and then most of us headed down to the Community Center to enjoy Valentine's Day Breakfast with our Seniors. I want to offer special thanks to the ossining School District and the National Honor Society students as well as all the student performers who put together an exceptional morning for our Seniors, as well as to our Town Senior Nutrition and Village Recreation staff who, as always, put together a fine morning out for our senior sweethearts.

That wasn't the end of the Valentine's Day celebration, though. Accompanied by Director of the Ossining Girl Scouts Rosie Foster, and the hundreds of valentines the Ossining Girl Scouts made, I participated in Veteran Patient Recognition Week at the Montrose VA facility, and delivered valentines and a little cheer. Special thanks to the Vietnam and World War II Vets who posed for pictures with us, as well as Nursing Administrator Chi Chi and Yvette Rodriguez from the VA for working with my office to set up this wonderful afternoon.

I also want to be sure to share how much of the Town and Village staff has been fueled by delicious food from Good Choice Kitchen this past week, most recently, this afternoon, where we were in very good company! Our office tends to lean towards veggie-based meals on a regular basis, but the variety of soups, salads, and meals available at Good Choice Kitchen will satisfy any palate. We are so proud to have this fantastic new restaurant in our community; if you haven't visited yet, I hope you will pop into their storefront at 147 Main Street and say hello!

As we move into a new week here in Ossining, I hope to see you at some of these upcoming events, including Thursday, February 23rd's Ossining Documentary and Discussion Series presentation of "What's Race Got to Do With It?", a film screening accompanied by a panel discussion, which will include students in Ossining High School's SUNY Racism, Sexism and Classism class. You can see the trailer for the documentary here.

Next Monday and Tuesday, Councilwoman Feldman, Town Budget Director Maddi Zachacz, and I, along with representation from our Tax Office and Town Court, will be attending the Association of Towns annual meeting in New York. Last year was the first time around for Councilwoman Feldman and I, and we learned a lot from the experience. I look forward to making even more contacts this year-- getting to know folks in other Towns who have encountered challenges similar to ours, and made a way around them, is well worth the price of admission! I will also be voting on behalf of the Town on Wednesday morning; the Association of Towns is one of our most powerful lobbying tools at the State level, and I am glad to serve as the voice of our community to make sure our needs are considered by the State of New York.

The Town Board will not be meeting this coming week, so the next time we communicate with you will be Friday, February 24th in my next Supervisor's Update (as a final reminder- the Town and Village offices will be closed on Monday, February 20th). Until then, enjoy the warming weather and the long weekend!

--Dana

Looking back on this time last year, I was just preparing to take office this weekend—the year has truly flown past by here the Town of Ossining! This year's Elected Officials Inauguration will take place on New Year's Day, Sunday, January 1st at 12 Noon at the Community Center—we had no elections in the Town this year, but I hope you will join me in celebrating the election of our Village and State representatives who were re-elected for 2017, including Ossining Village Mayor Victoria Gearity, Village Trustees Rika Levin and John Codman, Assemblywoman Sandy Galef and Senator David Carlucci. A Community Reception will be held following the ceremony, and all are welcome to attend.  It will be a Happy New Year indeed.

We have another short week this week in the Town—the offices were closed on Monday in observance of the Christmas holiday, and our offices will be closing at Noon today for the New Year’s holiday. We will also be closed on Monday, January 2nd. We look forward to returning to work on Tuesday, January 3rd, rested and ready to take on 2017.

(If you are a resident of the Unincorporated Area and have not yet received your 2017 Sanitation Schedule in the mail, do not fear-- we have it posted  here! A hard copy should reach your mailbox this weekend.)

A big part of this week was spent reflecting on 2016 and looking at where we need to go in 2017. The Town has undergone some significant changes this year in a lot of areas, ranging from the budget structure to department staffing to technological upgrades and of course, our Town-wide revaluation of properties.

We will also have a new memory care facility-- Artis Senior Living--, an arts community-- Bethanny--, and 53 rental units including affordable ones-- Parth Knolls--, under construction in 2017, as these projects were approved by the Planning Board at the end of the year. We hope they will bring additional opportunities for housing across the spectrum of housing needs and care, as well as recreation, gallery space, arts classes and more to our community, as well as opportunities for our local tradespeople and businesses to secure work locally, and to provide jobs and create demand for supporting businesses as well.

However, our work is never done and we know we still have a lot yet to do.

As we looked at all of the primary goals we have identified, we found that the thread tying them all together is economic development. How do we get people to come to Ossining to start families, open businesses, and spend their spare time (and money) in our Town?

One way? Making Ossining a more affordable place to live would go a long way to bring families and businesses here. We are holding down taxes to the best of our ability, but there is always room to improve, and we are ready to focus on finding more shared service efficiencies with our Villages and other municipalities. We provide so many similar services to those provided by our neighbors, and we must find ways to join forces for everyone's sake. It will be a tough road to hoe, but the savings we could realize will be well worth it. I look forward to working with our partners in the Villages of Ossining and Briarcliff Manor to make some more headway on this goal in 2017.

Another way we can building our local economy is through environmental improvements. Ossining is already at the forefront of all things "green:" we participate in Community Choice Aggregation with 100% renewable energy sources, we have had dozens of homeowners participate in the Energize and Solarize programs, we have installed LED streetlights, we allow businesses to pay for energy upgrades on their Town tax bill through PACE financing. We are ready to take things to the next level in 2017 through a series of grant-funded initiatives-- we will start working on adding electric vehicles to our fleet, placing electric charging stations and solar car ports, installing solar panels on our municipal buildings, and working with our Building Department to make solar power a more accessible option for homeowners. We have already been awarded a $30,000 grant to design a bike/walking path to connect our open spaces with our retail throughout the Village of Ossining, Town of Ossining and Town of New Castle, which will help to reduce the need for automobiles on our streets while having the added benefit of connecting residents with economic opportunities not previously reachable for them. Combining all of these projects will not only lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and lower our energy bills, but will also help us to brand Ossining as a "green" place to live and serve as a model for our neighbors, all while saving taxpayer money and moving towards cleaner, safer air and water. 

Our final major priority in 2017 will be widespread work in our Town Parks and in Dale Cemetery. While we have secured grant funding to complete a lot of work in our Town Parks, including the restoration of electricity to our Cedar Lane Pavilion and rebuilding the docks and path around the pond at Cedar Lane, we have taken an inventory of the unavoidable repair necessary in our public spaces and have concluded that borrowing is the only way to get this work done in a timely fashion and return our parks to the quality that our residents deserve. We have presented our ideas to the Board and the public throughout 2016, and we are preparing to take a final account of the project costs and start work with bond counsel to structure a borrow. In case you missed it, the plan is to break the project into three phases: the first will address our Park pavilions, restrooms, and the office building at Dale Cemetery, along with some equipment purchases that are long overdue, while the second and third phases will address our recreation facilities (such as sport fields and tennis courts) and extensive paving work in the parks. We do not take these expenses lightly—this will be a large project that will take some time to pay off and the borrowing will be staggered-- but investing in our Parks and public spaces is something that this Board, and our residents, have indicated should be a top priority for our Town. Our open spaces are perhaps our greatest asset, and with a little TLC, we know they will bring more added value to Ossining for visitors and residents alike, and dramatically improve the recreational experiences of those who call Ossining home.

Speaking of parks, we had a chance to visit the Shine House on Wednesday with our Parks Foreman, Mario Velardo, and I am pleased to share that we are nearing the finish line—the building is nearly ready to open!  We have floated a late April date for the grand re-opening, and we are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to make it happen. The final steps are to finish the floors, install door handles and bathroom fixtures, and the final electrical inspection… and then we will be off to the races! We are looking forward to turning over the reins to Superintendent of Recreation Chris Soi, who will be incorporating the site into his activity calendar with pottery classes for children and adults. There is a bit of work yet to do at the Ice House, the building just across the street, which will hold our kilns, but you will not believe your eyes once we get up and running. Special thanks to our Parks and Highway staff for all their dedication and expertise-- they have saved us money by allowing us to tackle so much of this project with our in house staff--, along with our Engineering Team, Paul Fraioli and Andy Tiess, for all of their advice and collective knowledge that has gotten us to see the light at the end of what has been a very (very) long tunnel.

As we move into January, I have a few quick reminders to share. The Ossining Basics program is off to a great start, and the first five months of 2017 will each be assigned one of the five tenets of the program. January will be "Maximize Love, Manage Stress" Month; this principle of the program is meant to encourage adults to find ways to manage the stressors in their own lives so as to be more present around little ones. Young children, whether we realize it or not, can sense the stress we may be experiencing, so it is important we find ways to express affection, establish routines, and demonstrate love to help them feel safer, loved and supported, and therefore ready to learn. Wondering how you can reflect this behavior at home or with the small children in your life? Check out the Boston Basics video to learn about this important facet of the Ossining Basics program.

I would also like to call your attention to an event on January 10th, 2017 at the Ossining Public Library, where the New York State Department of Health and the United Way will be partnering to host a community forum about what works, and what doesn't, in healthcare. It promises to be an interesting event, and an opportunity to have some input in a system that impacts all of us.

Finally, I want to mention that the Town Board will be holding a Work Session on Tuesday, January 3rd in the 1st Floor Boardroom at 16 Croton Avenue, where we will be preparing for the 2017 Re-Organizational Meeting on January 10th. I hope you will tune in or join us in person for our first meeting of 2017.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year,

Dana

Happy New Year!

Although the Town offices were closed on Monday, we had an action-packed week in the Town of Ossining.

Before I get into the week’s activities, I want to congratulate Mayor Victoria Gearity, Village Trustees John Codman and Rika Levin, Senator David Carlucci and Assemblywoman Sandy Galef on their re-election, made official at the swearing in at the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center on January 1^st, 2017. It was a beautiful ceremony, and a testament to the incredible work being done by those who represent Ossining.

On Wednesday and Thursday this week, we were visited by our independent auditors, who began the preliminary work for the audit of 2016 financials, which will commence in early spring. We, too, are taking a hard look at our finances, as we are preparing a submission to the Town Board for part one of a three part bond for equipment and facilities work at our Town Parks and at Dale Cemetery. We are hoping to have the Board vote on this at the end of January, so that we can begin work in late March. The plan for phase one? Besides the purchase of some equipment that our departments have gone without for too long, we also plan to restore all three pavilions (Ryder, Gerlach and Cedar Lane), do substantial repairs to the restrooms in Cedar Lane and Gerlach Park, repave the service road at Gerlach Park, and have the stone wall at Dale Cemetery re-pointed and restored. Because of the nature of these improvements, borrowing the money at a low interest rate and paying it back over several years makes much more sense than trying to do it piecemeal out of the operating budget. We look forward to sharing more about this project later in January.

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This week, the Town Board opened the Public Hearing on Local Law #1 of 2017, which we have been working towards for many months with the help of our Planning Consultant, David Stolman. Back in June of 2016, the Town Board imposed a development moratorium in anticipation of making some changes to our Zoning Code, the consideration of which was recommended by the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. We have submitted the draft local law to our Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Environmental Advisory Committee, along with the Westchester County Department of Planning, and while we await their feedback, we will leave the Public Hearing open so as to gather input from our residents and local business owners, who have the most intimate knowledge of the affected neighborhoods and what a zoning change may mean for the Town as a whole. I encourage you to attend our Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, January 17 at 7:30PM at the Ossining Public Library, where we will re-open the Public Hearing and will be joined by Mr. Stolman, who will be on hand to address questions we have as we continue through this process. If public speaking is not your preferred form of communication, you can always email me at DLevenberg@townofossining.com or send a letter to me at 16 Croton Avenue, and I will make sure to share your input with the Board and the Town Clerk for inclusion in the record.

The Town Hall Meeting will be mainly dedicated to the continuation of the Public Hearing I mentioned above, but we will start with a short Work Session to include a presentation from Samantha Epstein from Clearwater, who will provide a brief introduction to the Watercraft Inspection Steward Program. As we have discussed before, the widespread infiltration of the invasive species hydrilla in the Croton River has raised concerns about the protection of our local water bodies, and Clearwater is prepared to offer a program to inspect boats before they enter the water, free of charge to the Town and to boaters. I am hopeful that the Town Board will support this initiative and that Clearwater will join us on the Ossining waterfront this summer.

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This has been another short week in the Town of Ossining, as our employees enjoyed a long weekend in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. It was wonderful to hear from so many of you who participated in the National Day of Service and contributed to making our community, and our world, a brighter place.

The Town Board held our Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, January 17^th at the Ossining Public Library, where we hosted Samantha Epstein from the Hudson Valley Sloop Clearwater, who introduced us to the Watercraft Inspection Steward program. This initiative is meant to prevent the spread of invasive species, specifically the aquatic plant hydrilla, from entering the Hudson River and surrounding waterways by installing a steward at our boat ramp and beach to inspect boats entering and leaving the river. The Stewards will also be able to speak with boaters and raise awareness of the potential for invasive species “hitchhikers." 2017 will be the third year that this program will run in our area, and for the first time, Ossining has been chosen to participate. The Town Board is pleased to introduce this program to the Ossining waterfront for the 2017, and has added a resolution to our next agenda to formally agree to proceed. If you are interested in learning about the origins of the program or the invasive species problem in the Hudson Valley, you can view Samantha’s presentation here (begins around the 5:15 mark).

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Although the weather outside was frightful (special thanks to the Town crew and the Village DPW for making sure the parking lot at 16 Croton was thoroughly salted!), our Town Board met on Tuesday night for a Special Meeting and Work Session, which included the continuance of the Public Hearing on Local Law #1 of 2017. Our Planning Consulant David Stolman walked us through a presentation that clearly outlined the proposed changes contained in the law. After a few short resolutions, we moved into a Work Session to discuss the comments entered into the Public Hearing record thus far, and gave Mr. Stolman a bit of direction as to how we intend to proceed. As the Town Board will not be meeting on Tuesday, January 31st, our next meeting will be Tuesday, February 7th, where we will begin with a Special Meeting to continue this Public Hearing with some new information from Mr. Stolman.

We will also hold several other Public Hearings that night, including two Cabaret license renewals (one at Maya Riviera and one at Ballroom Studio of Westchester, both on North State Road), and on proposed Local Law #2, which would extend the development moratorium in order to allow for completion of the dialogue related to Local Law #1 as described earlier. Once we move into Work Session, we will have several department heads join us for a discussion of Alarm Billing in the Town of Ossining, and our Building Inspector will discuss some fee schedule items related to Certificates of Occupancy. Next, Recreation Superintendent Chris Soi and Town Parks Foreman Mario Velardo will speak with us about some questions from the Board on the new Pavilion and Picnic Area Rental application, and will stay to discuss the 2017 Capital Project for our open spaces. It is sure to be a jam packed meeting, so I hope you will join us at 16 Croton Avenue or tune in live to hear what we've been working on lately.

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Before I get started, I want to remind everyone that tonight, many of our friends and neighbors will be joining together in a demonstration of unity at Market Square. I am proud of Ossining-- while sometimes we disagree, we also collectively realize that we are all in this together, and that crafting a better, brighter world is our responsibility. I hope you will join me and my colleagues, along with our community and religious leaders, to share a positive and hopeful message this evening.

We have a packed agenda for this coming Tuesday's Special Meeting and Work Session, which will take place at 7:30PM at 16 Croton Avenue. We will start with several public hearings, the first of which will be a continuation of our Public Hearing on Local Law #1 of 2017, which proposes zoning changes in the Unincorporated Area of the Town-- there is an updated draft that you can find here. We will also open a public hearing on Local Law #2 of 2017, which would extend our development moratorium by several weeks so that we can finish the important work described in Local Law #1. We also have two cabaret license renewals who will enter the Public Hearing process: Maya Riviera and Westchester Ballroom, both on North State Road.

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Even though the snow is done falling, it is still awfully crisp out there. I want to offer special thanks to our Town Highway and Parks crews and the DPWs in both of our Villages for ensuring that our residents and first responders could get around safely. It was a tough storm to deal with due to ice, wind, and cold temperatures, and I think you will agree that they battled it admirably.

First and foremost, if you aren't doing anything tonight, I would strongly recommend that you attend the Ossining Documentary and Discussion Series' "The Hudson River At Risk" event tonight (Friday, February 10th at 7PM at the Ossining Library), where they will be sharing three short (and timely) films followed by a panel discussion. Come learn about how pipeline projects, the proposed anchorages and contamination have the potential to affect our river and all who enjoy it, and what you can do to help.

Before I touch on this coming weekend's other events, I wanted to share with you some of what we've been up to in the Town over this past week. When we last spoke, I was en route to join many friends and neighbors at Market Square for a Unity Vigil. I was so very pleased to see such a fantastic turnout that was also incredibly representative of Ossining's diverse population. Although the weather was freezing, the crowd continued to grow as I was joined by Councilwomen Liz Feldman, Kim Jeffrey and Karen D'Attore, as well as Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Assemblyman David Buchwald, Westchester County Legislator Catherine Borgia, Mayor Victoria Gearity, Village Trustee Rika Levin, and dozens of other community leaders, all coming together for the sole purpose of demonstrating how, regardless of political persuasion, that we recognize that we are stronger together than we will ever be apart. I was invited to speak, and I wanted to share my thoughts with those who were unable to attend, which I read to the crowd in both English and in Spanish.

"We are one Ossining!

Somos Un Ossining!

We are special because of the fabric of our individual lives coming together here in harmony

We are interesting, intelligent, and international

We work together to improve our lives and the lives of our neighbors, sisters, brothers and friends.

We are beautiful because of our colors.

Because of our religions.

Because of our diversity.

Because of our love and respect for one another.

We have wonderful schools, parks, businesses.

We have crafts people, boaters, professionals, entrepreneurs, and teachers, and so many more.

We have love.

This is what makes us rich.

This is what makes us powerful.

We believe in our diversity and we embrace it so that the tides of the Hudson on our grounds will raise all ships.

We Represent. 

Let our passions, let our love for each other, let our respect for one another raise our ships and those of our neighbors and shine. 

We are strong because we are one Ossining. Somos un Ossining.

Let's show the world why America is Great because of all our Ossining's by being who we are, every day, no matter what. And loving it."

My office has also been working with Sustainable Westchester to get moving on our newest "green" initiative, which involves bringing electric cars and trucks into our fleet, putting in solar charging stations, and finding a place for solar panels to help offset the Town's electric bill. We are hoping to report more details after we have finalized the logistics. There are a ton of incentives and grant funding out there for these kinds of projects, not to mention the long-term savings that come from a lower dependence on fuel and the benefits to our environment.

Our Town Board Special Meeting and Work Session on Tuesday evening was, as promised, action-packed. Aside from the continuation of our Public Hearing on Local Law #1 ( click here to see some of the adjusments we have made with input from the public and the various stakeholders so far) and the adoption of Local Law #2 (extending the development moratorium), we also reviewed some new applications for Park use with Superintendent of Recreation Chris Soi, which we are scheduled to adopt on Tuesday morning at our next meeting (16 Croton Avenue on Tuesday, February 14th, 8:30AM). We also had a long conversation about our capital plans and we feel we are moving in a positive direction. Between utilizing available fund balance and our "in lieu of parklands" monies, we will be able to significantly decrease the size of the borrow while still getting our open spaces looking their best. This is an exciting step in what has been a long process, and we are confident that by this time next year, our Parks and Dale Cemetery will be looking better than ever. You can check out the presentation we prepared for the Town Board here.

Our Parks crew is also hard at work getting the Shine House (and the Ice House) ready for its grand re-opening this Spring. We are still planning this event, but we are not just talking about a ribbon cutting. Be prepared for an exciting day in our newest recreation space that just so happens to have the most exceptional views around.

Speaking of our Parks, we are ramping up for our second year of Mind, Body, Spirit- Ossining and want to hear from you about what you loved and what we can improve this time around. If you participated, please take a few moments to complete our survey. We are here to make the best possible programming available for you, so tell us-- how did we do?

Finally, we are working towards getting photos of all of our Town Department Heads posted on the Town website. With the help of Michael G. O'Connor, we did an extensive photo shoot a few weeks back (see below) and I'm pleased to share that most department pages now feature the opportunity to recognize the folks who keep this place running. We still have a few who have yet to model for us, but hopefully we will have the project completed by month's end.

There are a ton of great events going on in Ossining this weekend, including the annual favorite Eagle Fest! You can find a schedule of the day's events here.

I hope to see you out and about in Town this weekend. Don't forget to pick up something for your honey, Valentine's Day is on Tuesday-- even if you aren't exchanging gifts, a home cooked meal with fresh ingredients from Down to Earth Market is a gesture they won't soon forget. You can check them out at their indoor Winter location at the First Presbyterian Church on South Highland every Saturday through April from 9AM to 1PM; Good Shepherd Distillery will be on site with their special fruit brandies, so you can treat yourselves to this awesome Valentine's Day cocktail to make your day even sweeter.

--Dana

The Town is getting ready to leave for a three day weekend in honor of President's Day, and before I tell you about our week, I want to share some interesting events related to presidents and our local history.

I would also encourage you to check out the Gallery outside the Budarz Theater at the Ossining Public Library for a peek at "Me and My Presidents," a collection of presidential memorabilia compiled by local history buff William Reynolds. Although the installation runs through February 28th, the Library will host an Opening Reception on Sunday, February 19th between 2 and 4PM, light refreshments will be served.

This past Monday, my office spoke with Superintendent of Recreation Chris Soi and our Parks Foreman Mario Velardo to continue planning the grand re-opening of the Shine House in Cedar Lane Park. Just in case you haven't been following along, this is a project that has been going on for many years. Longtime residents may remember when the Town of Ossining, under Supervisor John Chervokas, purchased the land that is now Cedar Lane Park from the 52 Association, an initiative that more than doubled our acreage of parkland while also becoming one of the area's most beloved open spaces. When the Town purchased the property, the area that is now the Organic Community Garden was instead an in-ground swimming pool, and the Shine House served as the pool house. The pool was dealt a fatal blow in Hurricane Floyd and was demolished, but the pool house remained and, as it was not being regularly used, it began to deteriorate. Seeing a unique opportunity to add to our recreational facilities, previous Town Boards began to rehab the Shine House, with the majority of the labor being done with by our talented Parks staff. (I stopped by earlier today to check on the progress and found Mario and Juan hard at work, taking care of last minute touches. As you can see, the finishes are looking very nice. They stopped for a few minutes to show us around and pose for this quick photo.)

With that brief look back into history as perspective, I am sure you can appreciate why we are so very proud to announce the grand re-opening celebration, which is scheduled for Friday, April 21st. Our hope is to offer tours of the building, while also offering a program for children and adults to introduce them to our new pottery studio and flex space, and possibly also kicking off Mind, Body, Spirit-Ossining for the 2017 Spring/Summer season (speaking of which, have you filled out our survey yet?) We will also, very shortly, be calling for entries for a contest in which the winner will be producing a one-of-a-kind art piece to be mounted in the Shine House entry and welcome everyone to the building. So, consider this your invitation! We will have more details in the coming weeks, and we can't wait to see you at the Shine House!

On Tuesday, the Town Board had a short morning meeting to pay our bills and conduct some pressing business, and then most of us headed down to the Community Center to enjoy Valentine's Day Breakfast with our Seniors. I want to offer special thanks to the ossining School District and the National Honor Society students as well as all the student performers who put together an exceptional morning for our Seniors, as well as to our Town Senior Nutrition and Village Recreation staff who, as always, put together a fine morning out for our senior sweethearts.

That wasn't the end of the Valentine's Day celebration, though. Accompanied by Director of the Ossining Girl Scouts Rosie Foster, and the hundreds of valentines the Ossining Girl Scouts made, I participated in Veteran Patient Recognition Week at the Montrose VA facility, and delivered valentines and a little cheer. Special thanks to the Vietnam and World War II Vets who posed for pictures with us, as well as Nursing Administrator Chi Chi and Yvette Rodriguez from the VA for working with my office to set up this wonderful afternoon.

I also want to be sure to share how much of the Town and Village staff has been fueled by delicious food from Good Choice Kitchen this past week, most recently, this afternoon, where we were in very good company! Our office tends to lean towards veggie-based meals on a regular basis, but the variety of soups, salads, and meals available at Good Choice Kitchen will satisfy any palate. We are so proud to have this fantastic new restaurant in our community; if you haven't visited yet, I hope you will pop into their storefront at 147 Main Street and say hello!

As we move into a new week here in Ossining, I hope to see you at some of these upcoming events, including Thursday, February 23rd's Ossining Documentary and Discussion Series presentation of "What's Race Got to Do With It?", a film screening accompanied by a panel discussion, which will include students in Ossining High School's SUNY Racism, Sexism and Classism class. You can see the trailer for the documentary here.

Next Monday and Tuesday, Councilwoman Feldman, Town Budget Director Maddi Zachacz, and I, along with representation from our Tax Office and Town Court, will be attending the Association of Towns annual meeting in New York. Last year was the first time around for Councilwoman Feldman and I, and we learned a lot from the experience. I look forward to making even more contacts this year-- getting to know folks in other Towns who have encountered challenges similar to ours, and made a way around them, is well worth the price of admission! I will also be voting on behalf of the Town on Wednesday morning; the Association of Towns is one of our most powerful lobbying tools at the State level, and I am glad to serve as the voice of our community to make sure our needs are considered by the State of New York.

The Town Board will not be meeting this coming week, so the next time we communicate with you will be Friday, February 24th in my next Supervisor's Update (as a final reminder- the Town and Village offices will be closed on Monday, February 20th). Until then, enjoy the warming weather and the long weekend!

--Dana

Although the weather outside may lead you to believe we are moving into the summer months, we are actually nearly a month away from the first day of spring! If the bright skies and increasingly longer days make you want to sing, you aren't alone-- but why not sing with a buddy? As you may remember, we are partnering with the Ossining School District on their roll-out of the Ossining Basics program, and this month focuses on the principle "Talk, Sing and Point." Since babies learn language from the day they are born, we can help to prime them for learning when we point to objects we are talking (or singing!) about and build those connections more easily. Although February is almost over, there is still time to share these lessons with the little people in your life-- you can learn more about "Talk, Sing, Point" here.

Several of us spent the first two days of the week in Manhattan at the Association of Towns Annual Meeting. This was my second year attending and I must say, I am encouraged by how hard our Association is working to represent us at the State level.

The guest speaker on Monday at the kick-off to the whole conference, was US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara, who reminded us of the importance of integrity at all levels of government. Especially in these times when residents and the media are hyper-vigilant about the operations of their local governments, I feel proud to stand with the Town team who has, in my first year as Town Supervisor, already demonstrated a commitment to doing right by our taxpayers at every turn. I was joined by colleagues on the board and my office, from our Tax Receiver’s office as well as from our courts. We all spent time in a cross section of workshops to learn more from experts in the field as well as our colleagues across the state about how we can be doing our work for the Town even better, to better serve you more efficiently and effectively.

Much of the rest of our week was spent working on a variety of park-related projects. On Wednesday afternoon, I met with our project team for the Open Space Corridor and Bike Lane Project, for which we have been granted $30,000 by Hudson River Greenway to design a bike lane that will connect some of the many open space assets that intersect Croton Ave/Somerstown Rd/Rt. 133. This would include the Old Croton Aqueduct, the Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway, and the North County Trailway. We are partnering with the Town of New Castle and Village of Ossining to make sure the route we select will bring the most benefit to all involved parties. Soon we will be reaching out to stakeholders in all the communities to join us as we start mapping what could be possible.  We are excited about the opportunity of tying together our wonderful parks and open spaces and connecting them more easily to one another by foot or by bike as well as connecting them to our business districts.  

We also visited the Shine House, where our Parks crew is hard at work to get ready for the April 21st grand re-opening. This weather has been extra conducive to getting work done on the site, and it is hard to believe we are less than 2 months away from the end of a very long process. We also met earlier today to discuss the next steps for another project at Cedar Lane Park, the "Cedar Lane Park Pond Facilities Rehabilitation," sponsored by NYS Senator David Carlucci, which will involve the replacement of the red PBA dock on the road side of the pond, the replacement of the floating dock with a manicured beach for kayak launching, and a stone dust path around the circumference of the pond. This project has been approved for funding through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, and we plan to open a capital project at our next Town Board meeting to help us get started. Our in-house grant writer extraordinaire Victoria Cafarelli has been working with our Parks Foreman Mario Velardo and Village/ Town Engineer (and Interim Village Manager) Paul Fraioli on this project since its conception last year; we hope you look as surprised as Mario does once you see what's in store!

(That reminds me-- it isn't too late to fill out the Mind, Body, Spirit- Ossining survey about the 2016 season; let us know what you thought about this program highlighting Ossining's open spaces and wellness businesses, and how we can improve in 2017!)

I also represent Ossining on the Plan4Health task force for the American Planning Association, working with other stakeholders to see how we can better plan our communities around healthy living. I look forward to sharing more about the assessment this group will be undertaking and the Roundtable discussion we will have in June to bring together many interested parties who would like to support this important goal.

The Town Board did not meet this week, since several of us were in the city for the AOT meeting. However, we will surely be making up for lost time this coming Tuesday, February 28th, when we will have our Regular Meeting at 16 Croton Avenue at 7:30PM. We will be continuing the public hearing on Local Law #1 (click here for the most recent draft, unchanged since January), and a cabaret license renewal for Ballroom Studio of Westchester on North State Road. We will then stop for a short Work Session, during which we will see a presentation from the National Foundation for Affordable Housing Solutions, Inc., a group that is purchasing the Maple House building and is asking for an extension of the current PILOT agreement --we have invited the Village, Schools, and Library boards to join us if they are available and anticipate they will each have some representation there on Tuesday. We will then return to our Regular Meeting for another batch of resolutions, including two bond resolutions for work in our parks and in Dale Cemetery. I do hope you will join us, whether in person or through the live broadcast, for what promises to be an informative Tuesday night.

As we walk into the last weekend of February, I hope everyone will continue to take advantage of the beautiful warm weather and spend some time exploring Ossining. It would be a great time to check out the Sing Sing Kill Greenway, if you have yet to make your way across, and visit 6 Degrees of Separation, who will be celebrating George Washington's Birthday (and the anniversary of the last time the Liberty Bell was rung) through March 1st with a special beer menu from Bell's Brewery. Make it a great Ossining weekend!

The Ossining Library will also be hosting a great program this Saturday, February 25th, about electric vehicles. The Town is working towards adding a few to our fleet-- if you have ever been interested in how an electric vehicle may work for your family or business, I encourage you to check out this great (free) program tomorrow. 

Although a bit farther out, I want to remind everyone that the Briarcliff Public Library will host Assemblywoman Sandy Galef's March 9th. 2017 Town Meeting, where the Assemblywoman will be discussing her priorities for the 2017 Legislative Session, along with the STAR property tax rebate program and ethics reform. I encourage you to attend this meeting and share your ideas with the Assemblywoman. The Town Meeting will begin at 7PM in the Briarcliff Community Room. Also in Briarcliff? The Briarcliff Student Council, the Interact Club and the BFA will be hosting all Briarcliff senior citizens to a pre-theater reception, including a light dinner, coffee, tea and dessert, at the Briarcliff High School cafeteria at 5:30PM on Thursday, March 2nd. The reception will be followed by a dress rehearsal of Rodgers and Hart's "The Boys From Syracuse." Please register by Monday, February 27th for this free event by calling 941-6560. Also, Briarcliff elections are just a few weeks away on March 21st-- be sure to see the Briarcliff Village Clerk if you need an absentee ballot.

I want to close by sharing that the Village of Ossining lost one of their own several weeks ago, when DPW worker David Caputo unexpectedly passed away at his home in Ossining, leaving behind a wife, a six year old son, and three stepchildren. David was a dedicated Village employee for 18 years, and his passing is an incredible loss to the department, to his friends and his neighbors. The Ossining DPW has set up a GoFundMe account for the Caputo family; all donations are appreciated.

--Dana

This has been a challenging week for many in Ossining, as another series of bomb threats threatening the Jewish community hit close to home when the JCC in Scarsdale was evacuated. These threats are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated, and I want to thank our County Legislator Catherine Borgia, along with Governor Cuomo, for speaking out against these shameful acts of hate. However, we can not just look to our elected leadership to stop these disturbing acts-- the responsibility lies with us to be vigilant and to report anyone who participates in behavior meant to frighten, intimidate or harm their neighbors. New York State has started a text hotline to make it easy to report a hate crime-- save this number in your phone, it could change the life of someone you love.

To this end, I attended a meeting earlier this week with Neighbors Link, where we discussed setting up trainings for local leaders to help our most vulnerable residents to get assistance and support during a time when they are not feeling particularly welcome. I hope to be able to participate in one of these trainings soon.

We have some exciting infrastructure work to share with you. The Village of Ossining, who provides water service to all Ossining residents, approved a capital project to replace large sections of water mains along Gordon Avenue, which is scheduled to begin this Summer after approval from the Department of Health. We also got some positive news during a meeting with the State DOT this morning-- it appears as though the culvert replacement project at Route 9A and Route 134, for which the Town has been lobbying for years, is a "go"-- the Town will also get a new sewer main at that location, which will hopefully ensure many years of safe service for the Town. The State will be paying for the construction. The Village of Ossining is also part of this project, as they are paying for the engineering of a water main that the State will pay to construct. Special thanks to our Water Superintendent Andy Tiess and our Highway crew for staying on top of this crucial work to the benefit of all Ossining residents.

As you may be aware, the Village of Ossining has decided to undertake a Housing Needs assessment, and the first major step to moving forward will begin on Monday, March 6th, where the community will have a chance to voice their opinions on the availability of housing in Ossining and what it would take to improve the current conditions. There are two sessions scheduled as noted below-- be sure to have your voice heard as this important process begins. The Town has also been asked to participate to share stakeholder input.

I also want to be sure to invite you to the Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, March 7th, where the Town Board will be re-opening the Public Hearing on the proposed changes to our zoning for certain areas within the Unincorporated Area of the Town. We will have our Planning Consultant with us to give a short presentation on the proposed changes to this point, and he will also be on hand to respond to any questions. We have gotten a lot of specific feedback about the proposed re-zoning of the Maryknoll property along Ryder Road, which was recommended in the Town's Comprehensive Plan several years ago, and look forward to having continued dialogue with the community before moving forward with anything final.  I hope you will attend this meeting and hear more about this proposal, as well as offer your suggestions for improvements; the meeting begins at 7:30PM in the Budarz Theater at the Ossining Public Library.

As you travel around Ossining, you may start to see signs that highlight the third principle of the Ossining Basics-- Count, Group and Compare. I visited C-Town on Wednesday with Nelly Garcia, where they have agreed to participate in a plan to help parents of our youngest learners to participate in "Count, Group, Compare" while grocery shopping. Check out these cool signs-- they will be installed throughout the produce section to remind grown-up shoppers what to do!

Although the weather has been up and down this past few days, the weekend is looking clear, if a little cold. I hope you will check out some of the local events below, but I do want to draw special attention to several events this weekend. Teatown is hosting the "Eagles Out" Drive Tour, leaving from the Echo Boat Launch in Croton at 9AM, Saturday March 4th. The clear skies tomorrow should make it a great day to spot some eagles! Registration is required for this free event. On Sunday, March 5th, the Shattemuc Yacht Club will be holding an Open House between 12PM and 4PM. If you've ever considered joining, come down to the waterfront for a tour and some refreshments-- all boaters are welcome! If boating isn't your cup of tea, the Glenda Davenport Jazz Ensemble will be playing a free concert at the Ossining Public Library at 2PM that very day, so take some time to unwind listening to some classic jazz standards to wind down your weekend.

I saw a preview of this play in WCT's new space. It is not to be missed! Hope to see some of you there tonight.

Dances of Universal Peace
What: The Dances of Universal Peace (DUP) set scriptures and sacred phrases from the world’s spiritual traditions to music and movement. The Dances evoke a unified experience of movement, sound, breath and sacred phrase. No musical or dance experience of any kind is required and everyone is encouraged to join in.  Participation, not presentation, is the focus. No special attire is required and dancers need not bring a partner. See www.DancesofUniversalPeace.org 

When: Tuesday March 7th, 7-8:30 PM

Where: Mariandale 299 N. Highland Avenue Ossining, NY 10562

Info: Questions about the Event call Dan Gallagher at 608-438-3732

Contact: To Register call Mariandale (914) 941-4455. $12/per session, $45/for the series

St.  Patrick’s Celebration
What:  A gathering for families, neighbors and friends featuring:  Bag-pipers, Irish Step Dancers, Children’s activities, Lively DJ music, Dancing, Sing-a-long, and Cash Raffles Adult $42 (Corn beef dinner, Non-alcoholic beverages & one alcoholic drink incl.21 yrs+) Child (3-12 yr) $12 (Pizza, cookies and juice), Children under 3 are free [Immediate Family: 1st child $12; 2nd child $12; 3rd child or more $0]
Register and pay online at http://www.stpatrickcelebration.brownpapertickets.com 
When:  Saturday March 11, 2017  6- 10PM
Where:  St. Augustine’s School Gym, 381 No Highland Ave, Ossining
Contact:  Ellen Stibler, St. Augustine’s Parish, 914-941-0067  stpatrickcelebration@gmail.com

Another event a few weeks away is Teatown's Pancake Brunch on Saturday, March 18th between 8:30AM and 1:30PM. In case you missed out on Fat Tuesday this week, or if you just need more pancakes in your life, this is a great opportunity to learn about the syrup making process while enjoying a delicious meal of hotcakes, sausage, coffee, and, of course, real maple syrup. Once you have had your fill, walk it off with a half hour bird walk around Teatown with Charlie Roberto. You can register by calling (914) 762-2912 x110.

Finally, it isn't too early to start planning for this year's Relay for Life event-- the kickoff meeting for the 2017 event will be held in the Budarz Theater at the Ossining Public Library on Wednesday, March 29th at 6:30PM. The Town and Village of Ossining started a team last year and we plan to do it again in 2017-- I hope you will consider forming a team and participating in this great community event to fight cancer, across our nation and right here at home. Ossining's Relay for Life event this year is scheduled for June 17th, which will be here before you know it!

--Dana

This snow turned out to be a wonderful surprise: not enough to force a change in plans, but just enough to get everyone to slow down and admire the magnificent landscape here in Ossining! The weekend is expected to be chilly and dry, but there is the potential for significant snowfall on Tuesday. Keep your eyes on the skies as we move into next week, and check back here for any delays, closures or weather related information.

On Monday, I was invited by the Village of Ossining to participate in a Stakeholders Meeting on the topic of housing in our community. This has been an incredibly hot topic in Ossining over the past several years, and I appreciate the Village's inclusionary vision for the Housing Needs Assessment study process. One of the other stakeholders present was Robert Rosenbloom from the Housing Action Council, who will be coming to a Work Session in April to share how their programs can help homeowners in distress. He did, however, share the following information with us for circulation. If you or someone you know is facing the stressful situation of a pending foreclosure, HAC may be able to provide guidance.

At the Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday evening, we re-opened the Public Hearing on Local Law #2 of 2017 (formerly Local Law #1), which proposes zoning changes in several neighborhoods throughout the Unincorporated Area. Our Planning Consultant David Stolman presented a Powerpoint on the changes thus far (you can watch the video here, the Public Hearing begins around the 24:25 mark), and we took comments from members of the audience. Mr. Stolman will attend our March 21st Work Session to discuss where we go next in this process. In the meantime, we will be re-opening this Public Hearing at our meeting this coming Tuesday, March 14th, in case anyone wishes to share their input on the newest iteration of the Local Law, which was updated as of March 6th. The draft law and accompanying documents can be found here. I want to stress to the community that the Board has not made any changes yet and is taking all of your feedback under advisement during this challenging process.

At that same meeting, we had a short presentation from Interim Village Manager (and Village/ Town Engineer) Paul Fraioli, accompanied by Victoria Cafarelli in my office, explaining the work scheduled for Cedar Lane Park over the coming months. Several months ago, the Town was awarded a DASNY grant from the office of Senator David Carlucci to complete what we are calling the "Cedar Lane Park Pond Facilities Restoration" project. With the $85,000 grant, we will be demolishing and replacing the red dock along the road, demolishing the floating dock on the far side of the pond and replacing it with a manicured beach, installing a crushed stone path for walking and jogging around the pond, and adding rain barrels to help irrigate the organic garden. Once we have finalized reports from our engineer, we will be on our way, and the hope is to get the project done for Summer 2017.

We continue to ramp up work at the Shine House, which, as the Board announced at Tuesday night's meeting, will be re-named the Cedar Lane Arts Center. Our Parks crew is moving full steam ahead to prepare for the April 21st grand re-opening, which will be here before we know it, and my office has been at work behind the scenes planning the day's events. We also announced at Tuesday's meeting the specifics of the contest we will be holding to choose the entrance signage for the building. You can find the specific submission requirements here. Even if you don't plan to submit a piece, I do hope you will join us on Friday, April 21st for a tour of the new space, a pottery demo, and an art show hosted by the Ossining Arts Council (and, don't forget, some delicious snacks and a toast to celebrate all of the hard work, and our Parks Foreman's birthday!)

Also, I had an opportunity to hear from Regional Plan Association on the draft of their fourth plan for the metropolitan region which they presented to Hudson Valley stakeholders.  There are many interesting and pertinent recommendations, and those participating were able to suggest additional areas to include. I look forward to seeing their final recommendations and a plan for implementation. 

This morning, Sustainable Westchester hosted a conversation on Microgrids which was something being considered for both resilience and long term security, as well as potential economic and environmental benefits.  Many communities that participated in the first round of NY Prize money did not come away with positive recommendations for how to implement a microgrid locally; we had an opportunity to discuss some of the programs shortfalls to see if there is an opportunity to get back on track and look for other benefits such a plan could afford our municipalities.  I will keep you posted as we glean new information from Sustainable Westchester.

 Also today, I participated with a group of local community leaders in a meeting the Ossining Public Library initiated to discuss ways to make summer reading a priority in our community for children of all ages. We are looking at places where we tend to get a lot of children and families and considering ways to incentivize and energize reading to make sure our young people do not lose what they learned at school during the summer months. There will be more to hear about in the coming months as we perfect another collective impact effort to drive literacy in Ossining—look and listen for the reintroduction of the Ossining Loves to Read campaign!

There are many events going on in the community this weekend, if you dare to brave the cold! Please do not miss stopping by the Down to Earth indoor farmer's market at the First Presbyterian Church tomorrow to pick up some comfort food makings appropriate to the weather. Of special interest? This recipe they published for Colcannon, three ways-- just in time for St. Patrick's Day!

St.  Patrick’s Celebration
What:  A gathering for families, neighbors and friends featuring:  Bag-pipers, Irish Step Dancers, Children’s activities, Lively DJ music, Dancing, Sing-a-long, and Cash Raffles Adult $42 (Corn beef dinner, Non-alcoholic beverages & one alcoholic drink incl.21 yrs+) Child (3-12 yr) $12 (Pizza, cookies and juice), Children under 3 are free [Immediate Family: 1st child $12; 2nd child $12; 3rd child or more $0]
Register and pay online at http://www.stpatrickcelebration.brownpapertickets.com 
When:  Saturday March 11, 2017  6- 10PM
Where:  St. Augustine’s School Gym, 381 No Highland Ave, Ossining
Contact:  Ellen Stibler, St. Augustine’s Parish, 914-941-0067  stpatrickcelebration@gmail.com

It's also great weather to check out "Sugaring Sunday", a weekly event at Teatown. Come learn about the interesting history and fascinating process behind maple syrup making. Pre-registration is required; call (914) 762-2912 x110 to register for a 1PM, 2PM or 3PM time slot. (This is also a great warm-up for Teatown's Pancake Brunch on Saturday, March 18th!)

Westchester Collaborative Theater's run of "Lot's Wife" continues this weekend (the 3PM show on Sunday, March 12th features a "talk back" with the playwright, director and cast, and the Thursday, March 16th show at 8PM is a BOGO ticket night), but the WCT has even more in store. On the morning of Saturday, March 18th, they will be offering tours of their new Blackbox Theater space at 23 Water Street. Tours and talks kick off at 10:30AM and 11:30AM. If you haven't visited yet, I hope you will come celebrate the opening of this important new cultural space on our waterfront.

Finally, although it's still a few weeks out, mark your calendars for "The Big Soiree" on Saturday, March 25th at 7:30PM to benefit Ossining Matters and help them reach their "One Million Dollar" milestone. This event will take place at The Briarcliff Manor on Studio Hill Road-- you can buy your tickets on the Ossining Matters website.

--Dana

We started the week off with a significant snowstorm, one of the biggest we've seen in awhile, and as always, the Town and Village crews did not disappoint. Although some estimates were calling for as much as two feet of the white stuff, we topped out at just over a foot in most places around Town with very little damage and fewer than 10 power outages. As such, we (the Town and Village) decided collectively not to call in a Con Ed liaison, and we managed all communication in house. I want to thank our Police Chief Kevin Sylvester and Police Lieutenant Jim Montague, along with the Village Administration and our Highway Foreman John Martin and his crew for their expertise and cooperation throughout this adventure.

While we had very few issues with the observation of snow ordinances during this weather event, I want to send out a few snow-related reminders, whether our next go-round is in December or this very weekend (a few more inches predicted tomorrow!) Firstly, please (please, please) do not shovel snow into the road, and ask your contractors not to do this either. When you push snow into the street, you not only make it harder for your neighbors and emergency responders to get around safely, you also make things very difficult for our plow trucks, who may not get back to your neighborhood until the snow piles are frozen to the road. This is not just courteous, it is New York State law. Also, please do not park your vehicle half in, half out of your driveway-- our plows try very hard not to plow you in after you are shoveled out, but parking the car half in the street makes their job much harder and more dangerous.

Finally, if you live in the Unincorporated Area and get your trash removal through Suburban Carting, we have some more information that could use repeating after this storm in particular. We ask that you have all of your trash/ recyclables out to the curb by 7AM on the day of your pickup. Even if your driver traditionally does not get to your home until much later, Suburban has a lot of new drivers and trucks and their schedules may not be as consistent going forward. Our Highway Department has gotten many calls this week saying that folks have missed the truck and are asking that the truck come back; Suburban does try to accommodate these requests when necessary, but generally speaking, they are not able to circle back around if you've missed them. We encourage you to make sure your trash is out by 7AM to ensure that you get picked up on your designated day.

Although a lot of this week was consumed by planning for snow, communicating about snow, and dealing with snow, we are still moving forward on a variety of projects. Between my office, the Office of the Assessor, and the Tax Office, we calculated the tax rates and created the bills for the Town/County collection this week, and those bills will hopefully be getting to your homes next week. Due to the added value on our tax roll as a result of the revaluation, many of the tax rates have gone down as compared to 2016 rates, and the Town of Ossining continues to be a great bargain for our taxpayers.

My office is continuing to work with our Parks Foreman, Mario Velardo, and his staff to ready the Cedar Lane Arts Center for the grand re-opening, scheduled for Friday, April 21st. (Have you seen the Spring/ Summer Recreation brochure yet featuring our brand new pottery classes?) However, as the work inside the buildings is starting to wrap up, we are preparing for some paving in Cedar Lane Park-- the span between the entrance, through the triangle, and over towards the Cedar Lane Arts Center will be freshly paved, along with the entire parking lot. While our crew prepares the area for the contractors, we will be closing the entrance between Monday, March 20th and Friday, March 24th, between 7AM and 5:30PM. If it is possible to re-open the road earlier, we will let you know. Please bear with us as our crews get this important work underway-- I promise you will be pleased with the results.

There are many events going on around Town this weekend, but keep an eye on the weather and check before you go out-- although the predictions are for a total of four inches over a 24 hour period, some outdoor events may be subject to change. I hope many of you had a chance to sign up for the Teatown Pancake Brunch tomorrow, where I will join you for this annual Teatown tradition that celebrates one of the best parts of Winter: maple syrup! Although this event is sold out, Teatown regularly offers exceptional family programming throughout the year-- check out some of their upcoming events here.

There is still time to purchase tickets for "The Big Soiree" on Saturday, March 25th at 7:30PM to benefit Ossining Matters and help them reach their "One Million Dollar" milestone. This event will take place at The Briarcliff Manor on Studio Hill Road-- you can buy your tickets on the Ossining Matters website.

I hope you will join us at the Town Board Special Meeting/ Work Session on Tuesday, March 21st at 7:30PM. As our meeting this past week was canceled, we have a lot to get done, including 3 Public Hearings and several presentations scheduled. We will be at 16 Croton Avenue for this meeting, but if you can't join us, we will also be streaming live.

Finally, earlier today, we posted a part-time job opening in the Town Highway Department (find the announcement here.) However, we have two other openings to share with you as well. We are looking to fill a vacancy on the Environmental Advisory Committee, and we have a seat on the Board of Ethics with an expired term. These are volunteer roles. If you live in the Unincorporated Area of the Town and either of these committees interest you, please email a letter of interest and a resume to Maddi Zachacz at Mzachacz@townofossining.com by Friday, March 31st. We look forward to hearing from you!

Have a great weekend, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

--Dana

This week flew past for us, and I am happy to share that it was a productive one!

My office has continued to push forward with our application to be a "Cleaner Greener Community," which requires us to document two recent environmental actions that the Town has undertaken, along with embarking on two new ones. The first of the new initiatives was a resolution passed by our Board a few weeks ago, where we agreed to participate in Benchmarking, which consists of keeping track of the Town's energy use and costs in our buildings and measuring the change (hopefully, the reduction) over time. The second will be our Clean Fleet Initiative, which will begin shortly when we sign the lease for our first true electric vehicle. The Town will be leasing a Nissan Leaf to replace our Building Inspector's Chevy Impala, which had been on track for replacement in 2018. However, the incredibly competitive price we got ($22,000), coupled with the substantial incentives from New York State ($5,000), will allow us to lease this vehicle with no impact on the budget in 2017. Furthermore, we were offered a 0% lease and a $1 buyout, so our all-in cost will still be $17,000, but staggered over several years. We are excited to sign the lease and get this vehicle into service, which will happen next week. Keep your eyes peeled for this new vehicle around Town (hopefully, the first of many!) Ron Kamen from Sustainable Westchester visited the Town Board on Tuesday evening and gave a great presentation on the Town's plan, as well as on electric cars in general. You can watch the video to hear the whole thing (jump ahead to the 1 hour and 46 minute mark), or view the presentation at your leisure here.

Speaking of environmental causes, we are still looking for another member of our Environmental Advisory Committee. If you live in the Unincorporated Area of the Town and are interested in reducing the Town's environmental footprint, I hope you will apply. Please send your resume and a letter of interest to Maddi Zachacz in my office at MZachacz@townofossining.com. 

We are officially within the 30 day window of the grand re-opening of the Shine House, now called the Cedar Lane Arts Center (CLAC), and the progress continues to astound everyone who visits the site. This past week, with the beautiful (although quite cold) weather, the crew was able to get a lot of sitework done, including preparing the road into the park and towards the Art Center for paving in the coming weeks, including widening the road bed by several feet on each side. We had alerted you last week that the entrance to the Park would be closed so this work could continue uninterrupted, and I am pleased to share that the road is now open again. Furthermore, the work inside the Ice House continues to prepare for the pouring of a new floor and the installation of the kilns. And outside? Our master mason, Matteo Velardo, has been hard at work rebuilding the stone wall around the edge of the pond, and outside the door of the Ice House. Watching this process is truly like watching an artist at work-- Matteo does not use cement to hold his walls together, but instead employs the "old school" method-- fitting smaller rocks together, like a puzzle, to hold everything in place. We are so very lucky to have this kind of talent on our staff.

Next week, we will be sharing the official invitation for the grand re-opening, but we do have some exciting news to share. Yesterday, we met with Laurie Gershgorn from Good Choice Kitchen, who has agreed to cater the event for us with a variety of snacks, juices and other small bites. We are excited to be able to showcase an Ossining business while also sharing delicious, healthy, local food with our visitors. Please be sure to mark your calendar for this great event on the afternoon of Friday, April 21st.

We have so much going on this weekend around Town, including the last weekend of Westchester Collaborative Theater's run of "Lot's Wife." I have already attended this excellent show twice, and encourage those of you who have not yet seen it to attend.

Also, tomorrow night is the Ossining Matters Big Soiree event-- you can still buy a ticket here and help Ossining Matters to reach their millionth dollar in funded grants. Hope to see you there!

Also tomorrow, Saturday March 25th, marks the annual celebration of  Earth Hour. All around the world, families, businesses and landmarks turn off their lights for one hour to take a stand for climate change action, and at 8:30PM tomorrow, it’s our turn. Flip the switch and raise your voice for our planet. You can learn more about this initiative through the World Wildlife Federation here.

I do also want to bring some other events to your attention. For our senior citizens, on the evening of Wednesday, March 29th, the Ossining Schools and the Ossining National Honor Society will be hosting the Senior Citizen's Prom and Dinner Theatre. Seniors are invited to a 4PM performance of "Sister Act" in the Ossining High School auditorium, followed by dinner in the gymnasium from 6PM to 8PM. If you are a senior and are interested in some first-rate local entertainment, please RSVP to (914) 762-5760 so they know to expect you for this free event. If you are not a senior but would still like to see Sister Act by the talented Ossining High School Performing Arts students, the show will be performed again on Thursday (the 30th), Friday (the 31st) and Saturday (the 1st) nights at 7PM.

Also on that very same evening, Relay for Life will be holding their Ossining Kickoff Event at the Ossining Public Library at 6:30PM. The Town and Village joined together last year to form Team Dodge Against Cancer in honor of former Town Supervisor Martha Dodge. This year, cancer has once again hit close to home for Ossining staff, as the young son of our Parks employee Juan Toribio was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma. Gio completed several rounds of chemo and is now cancer-free, and we are ready to celebrate. For the 2017 event, Town and Village staff are joining Team GioStrong to support the Toribio family and raise awareness in our community. We will be represented at this kick-off meeting, and hope to see you there, either as a member of Team GioStrong or for your own team. 

--Dana

We have had a whirlwind day here at 16 Croton Avenue-- with just 22 minutes to spare, we managed to get in under the wire for the grant funding through the DEC for our very first electric car! Our Building Inspector will soon be riding in style in his new Nissan Leaf on which, I have mentioned, the Town is getting an incredible deal. I want to offer my special thanks to Victoria Cafarelli in my office, along with Ron Kamen from Sustainable Westchester, for working so very hard to get the ball rolling on this, and for getting it finished in what the lease company confirmed was "record time."

We also have spent some time over at Cedar Lane Park as our crew is preparing for the grand re-opening on April 21st. As the paving is due to begin late next week, the guys split their time between prepping and rolling the parking lot and preparing the Ice House for placement of the kilns and the final electric work.

The work that has been done on the site continues to amaze me and, although the team was moving fast earlier this week, all of the rain has pushed them back inside and put them a bit behind schedule. However, under the direction of our Parks Foreman Mario Velardo, I have no doubt that we will be looking very fine indeed for the maiden voyage of the Cedar Lane Arts Center. I hope you and your family will join us for this event, which has been years in the making!

On Wednesday, Maddi from my office attended the kick-off event for Relay for Life Ossining. There were several teams represented, including Team GioStrong, which will be "relaying" this year for Gio Toribio, a very brave little guy who was diagnosed last summer and has been in remission since January. Gio was there, along with his mom and grandma, to get everyone psyched to relay on June 24th at Anne M. Dorner Middle School. The Town and Village will be partnering with Team GioStrong this year, and we are expecting to make a great turnout and raise a lot of money for the American Cancer Society. The Ossining event had 259 attendees in 2016, and I believe we can do even better this year! If you want to join us on Team GioStrong or start your own team, visit the Ossining event site here.

While Maddi was there, I was attending the annual members meeting of Energize NY/Energy Improvement Corporation.  I have been on this board since last year’s annual meeting and have had the opportunity to use some of my prior experience navigating Albany to help secure funding for the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program through NYSERDA for 2018. This will mean this product, which can help businesses and not for profits secure financing for energy improvements to their building with very favorable terms, has a chance at becoming as successful in New York as it is in many other parts of the U.S.  NYSERDA committed $1.8 million in funding. We will also continue to work with Energize to see how we can expand the residential program in Ossining and Briarcliff to make sure those who have not yet gotten energy assessments of their properties have an opportunity to still do that, and to see if they can achieve long term savings by making recommended improvements.

April marks the celebration of Arbor Day, and my office is working with the Ossining Schools and our Parks Department to plan a tree planting at the Anne M. Dorner School for the end of the month. That's the good news. The bad news is that we received an email earlier today from one of our residents that oak wilt, a fungus carried by beetles or through tree roots, has been found in Brooklyn and that oak trees in Westchester are particularly vulnerable. In order to help protect the oak trees in the yard of your home or business, the Department of Environmental Conservation recommends NOT trimming or pruning your oak trees during the growing season (spring/summer), while also being familiar with the symptoms of oak wilt so that you can notify the DEC if you have a tree that you believe is infected. If oaks are wounded during this time, they can be covered with wound paint to prevent beetles from entering. Spiking trees is never advised, but is especially not advised for oak wilt prevention. You can learn more about Oak Wilt here.

 As we move into the weekend, I am sorry to say the weather is not looking so great, so much so that the Jesse Collyer Youth Sports Annual Parade has been postponed and will instead take place NEXT Saturday, April 8th. However, you are in luck-- there is plenty to do indoors this weekend as well, starting with the second-to-last performance of Sister Act at Ossining High School, as well as the Lion's Club Dinner honoring the Ossining Food Pantry volunteers.

The weather is looking much nicer for Sunday-- why not take a trip to Teatown? This weekend's event is "Herpetology 101", an event for learners aged 10 and up focused on reptiles and amphibians in the Hudson Valley. You can sign up or look at other upcoming programs here.

I hope you will join us at our Town Board Work Session this Tuesday evening (April 4th), where we will hold a short Special Meeting to hold a public hearing on a law to extend our development moratorium before we move into a series of presentations. Our three Town Justices will be with us to discuss the operations of the consolidated Town Court, we will have Robert Rosenbloom from the Housing Action Council to give a short presentation about foreclosure prevention services, and resident Bob Fritsche will be joining us to ask for the Board's support on a bill to extend cancer treatment to volunteer firefighters. However, maybe we will also cross paths at one of the many others events in Ossining next week. Of particular interest are two events related to the Hudson River, the first being an installment of the Ferry Sloops Lecture series on Wednesday evening at 7:30PM, where the authors of Hudson Valley Ruins, Thomas Rinaldi and Rob Yasinsac, will speak about some of our oldest landmarks along the banks of the Hudson and their influence on the history of our region-- you can learn more about this lecture and the rest of the series here. Later in the week, the Ossining Boat and Canoe Club will host a screening of "Hudson River At Risk" on the evening of Friday, April 7th. The screening begins at 7:30PM and will be followed by a panel discussion-- come on down to hear more about the issues facing our beloved Hudson and how you can advocate on her behalf.

These next few events are a bit farther off, but you will want to mark your calendars for all of them, especially our 6th Annual Earth Day celebration!

On April 29th, I will be joining Ossining School Superintendent Ray Sanchez for a hike at Teatown Lake Reservation. I know the April weekends tend to fill up fast as everyone celebrates the big thaw, but I hope you will consider joining us to talk about where Ossining is headed while we enjoy some beautiful scenery!

--Dana

The 3rd floor of 16 Croton has been busy this week, as we have been hosting our financial auditors since Monday morning. We are expecting a clean bill of fiscal health, as usual. I want to give special thanks to Town Comptroller Tom Warren and Town Deputy Comptroller Dale Ferreira for ensuring that we are doing everything properly and protecting the assets entrusted to us by our taxpayers.

At this week's Work Session, the Board was joined by several special guests, including Mr. Robert Rosenbloom from the Housing Action Council. Robert shared with the Board an overview of the services that HAC offers to homeowners in distress, and wanted to pay particular attention to a disturbing trend that has been on the rise as of late: foreclosure scams. His takeaway for all those who were watching was this: if you are dealing with a foreclosure or are expecting to have to default on your mortgage, there are 4 non-profits in the Westchester area who can help you for free. If you are contacted by someone selling this service, be wary and give HAC a call. You can learn more about them on their website, or hear Robert's whole presentation here (35:25).

On Wednesday morning, I joined many of Ossining's service providers at "Know our Rights", a presentation by Neighbor's Link hosted by the Ossining Public Library. As the national conversation surrounding immigration continues to cause anxiety for many members of our community, Neighbor's Link has taken the reins to teach the rest of us what we need to know about immigration law and how it may apply to the people we serve. I look forward to being a part of this conversation as it continues and I am proud to be part of a community that is being pro-active about this issue.

I want to end with some particularly good news we got yesterday. You may remember that the Town has been actively engaged in a variety of efforts to "green" our processes as of late, and I am proud to say they are starting to pay big dividends. The lease agreement of our electric Nissan Leaf was the 4th of 4 required actions to make us a Clean Energy Community, and we are now eligible to apply for a grant up to $50,000 to continue with our work. I want to give a big shout out to Victoria Cafarelli in my office for learning so much about this program and completing the many online forms (remember, it's a green system-- very little paper!) to earn us this prestigious status.

Tomorrow (Saturday, April 8th) is a big day in our community. The day begins with the Jesse Collyer Youth Sports parade, which kicks off from Roosevelt School at 8:30AM (line up begins at 8AM); the parade will follow Campwoods to Narragansett Avenue at Veterans Park, and will end with some Starting Day festivities before the first pitches. Next, Egg-stravaganza will take place at 10:15AM and 12:15PM at the Community Center (the event has been moved indoors due to soggy field conditions, which means no egg hunt, but there will be a magician, toys, candy and a visit from a certain large rabbit.) At 11AM, the Central Committee of Organized War Veterans will be holding a Centennial Remembrance at Nelson Park in honor of the local men who served and died during World War I, the Special 100th Anniversary of the Declaration of War that brought the US into WWI, and the death of an Ossining Son, Edmond Charles Clinton Genet. Also at 11AM, Teatown will be presenting "Not So Scary Snakes"; you can give a call in the morning to (914) 762-2912 x110 to see if there is still room, but even if not, be sure to check out their calendar of events for some excellent family programming over the next few weeks.

I also want to call your attention to an event happening on Wednesday, April 12th at 7PM at the Greenburgh Nature Center. The Center will be hosting Marianne Petronella of Westchester County Recycling and Michelle Sterling and Ron Schulhof of the Scarsdale Village Compost Program, who will be giving presentations on how communities can see environmental and economic success by being smarter about their food waste. You can find more information on "Wasteful Consumption and Smart Decomposition" here. This is something we are looking to explore here in Ossining-- we will keep you posted as we learn more about how it may work into our waste collection program here in Town.

However, on the same evening at (almost) the same time, the Town Board will be having our Regular Meeting that night (Wednesday, April 12th), since our Tuesday meeting was moved in observance of the Passover holiday. We have a relatively short agenda, but we will be re-opening the public hearing on our Zoning Law-- you can find the most recent version here. We will also be passing another resolution to voice our objection to the anchorage sites in the Hudson River. Town Assessor Fernando Gonzalez will also be joining us to give a departmental report, which will include telling the Board about the new sales data posted to the Town's website. This up-to-date information will allow our residents (and soon-to-be residents!) to better understand the value of their property; you can find it here, updated as of April 4th, 2017. We will be at the Courthouse while the Village of Ossining has their regularly scheduled Work Session at 16 Croton Avenue. Hopefully, you can catch one meeting live and the other on the Town or Village Youtube channel later in the week-- we both have very exciting projects going on that you'll want to hear about.

Finally, in case you missed it, the Town Board looks forward to seeing everyone at the Cedar Lane Arts Center opening on Friday, April 21st! Please be sure to RSVP to my office at the email address on the invitation or by calling (914) 762-6001.

However, in preparation for the re-opening, our contractor will be paving on Monday, April 10th, so Cedar Lane Park will be closed on Monday and Tuesday. We promise, it will be worth the wait!

--Dana

Happy Passover and Easter to all those who celebrate. Many of you have taken time this week to spend with family and friends and I hope you have had time to rest and rejuvenate as we move into spring with full force. Please be reminded that all Town Offices will be closing early this Friday, April 14^th, in observance of Good Friday.

This past Monday, Victoria Cafarelli in my office and I took part in a tour of the mostly abandoned facilities that are being developed to become the Sing Sing Prison Museum -- the Powerhouse and the 1825 Cell Block.  Both of these buildings are such important historical resources as well as architectural artifacts in the community, and it is so exciting to see the vision of the Museum Board and the Executive Director of Historic Hudson River Towns, Jerry Faiella, come closer to fruition.  Jerry will be visiting a Work Session soon to discuss the progress on this new tourist destination for Ossining, so stay tuned for more information on his presentation soon. 

Yesterday afternoon, I returned to Sing Sing for an event called C.H.O.I.C.E.S or Choosing Healthier Options In Confronting Every Situation organized in large part by Sing Sing's Voices from Within Project.  The Voices From Within Project was started by 11 inmates attempting to redefine what it means to "pay a debt to society" by sharing their stories, in an effort to impact young people with vivid experiences of the consequences of crime.  Yesterday's C.H.O.I.C.E.S event was part of an educational initiative to provide strategies to young people to make responsible choices and avoid crime, in order to break the cycle of criminal activity and gun violence.   Voices from Within creates a unique lens for evaluating the gun epidemic and the criminal justice system by sharing the first hand experiences of inmates to hopefully encourage others to avoid the path they have followed in their lives, as well as to highlight the many flaws in our society that lead people to commit crimes.  This event was so inspiring, especially to see how the leadership at Sing Sing Correctional Facility is committed to pioneering initiatives that support rehabilitation and encourage inmates to make an extraordinarily positive impact on our society, even while incarcerated. 

Tomorrow, I will once again be visiting Sing Sing, this time to mark the 76th anniversary of the deaths of Ossining Police Officer James Fagan and Sing Sing Prison Guard John Hartye.  These two dedicated officers gave their lives on April 14, 1941 to protect the Ossining community when three inmates attempted to escape from Sing Sing.  At last year's ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of their deaths, the Town Board designated April 14th as Prison Guard James Hartye and Patrolman James Fagan Day in the Town of Ossining, hoping that we will continue to remember their sacrifice every year on the day of their deaths. 

At last night's Town Board meeting, we were joined by Town Assessor Fernando Gonzalez to deliver a departmental report.  We are so proud of the hard work the Assessor's Office produces, and how they continue to work to ensure fair and accurate valuations on all properties in Ossining.  Fernando came to discuss the sales reports data compiled by his office, which allows all property owners and future property owners in Ossining to view current data on sales in their neighborhoods.  This is available on the Town's website and is a great resource for all residents. Fernando also reminded everyone that May 1st is taxable status day, meaning all applications for exemptions are due on that day.  Please be reminded that anyone that has Enhanced STAR, Senior, Volunteer Fireman's, Clergy, Disability or Religious/Non-Profit exemptions must submit all renewal documentation by May 1st for the 2017 assessment roll.  Grievance Day is also scheduled for June 20th, which is the last day to file all assessment grievances and meet with the Board of Assessment Review to discuss your case.  Fernando encourages all residents that feel their assessment is inaccurate to schedule a meeting with the Assessor's Office to discuss your property prior to June 1st, before turning to an expensive consultant.  If you have any questions, please call the assessor's office at (914) 762-8393 and they will be happy to help!

During the Public Hearing portion of our meeting, we heard from many residents in the Crotonville section of Ossining who shared their views on the new proposals for the town code zoning changes.  As such, we will continue to discuss this new zoning at on April 25^th in a Special Work Session which will follow the continuation of the Public Hearing.  We encourage everyone to attend.

On Thursday, I was invited to a special Force on Force exercise which the Ossining Police Department orchestrated in collaboration with the Croton and Briarcliff Police at Claremont and AMD schools.  It was an excellent opportunity to see firsthand the type of in depth training our officers receive in scenarios, which helps them be best prepared should they ever need to be, and gives them the opportunity to see how they work with other police departments so they can all be on the same page in the case of such emergencies.

Next week, there will be a Town Hall Meeting at the Ossining Public Library, with some great community presentations slated.  First, we will be joined by Mike and Miriam Risko of Mike Risko Music to hear more about their vision for music and books in our parks.  Mike and Miriam are proposing installing a Little Free Library and Guitar Box music kiosk, for visitors to pick up a guitar and make music.  Then, Paul Fraioli and Mario Velardo will be giving a presentation on the new Cedar Lane Arts Center -- from the Shine House with no walls, to the beautiful ceramics studio it is now.  We will then be having a short special meeting to appoint a part-time position in our Highway Department.

Most of us will be busy this weekend with holidays and enjoying the beautiful weather.  Please keep in mind that St. Ann’s Church will be holding its annual Stations of the Cross Procession on Friday, beginning at 6pm and ending at 8pm at the church. See below for route. The procession will stop at Ossining High School, on Maurice Avenue, at Park School, and Market Square. Please be mindful of potential traffic changes, and follow the instructions of the Ossining Police Department as they assist participants.

On Saturday, if you are looking for baked goods to bring with you for your Easter celebration, visit the Ossining Historical Society Museum’s tag sale from 10am until 4pm. Many hidden treasures will be for sale, as well as Easter baked goods. For more information on the bake sale, please contact Peter Cassidy at 845-721-7708.

We have a lot to look forward to next week. We were recently told that the DOT will be holding its second annual “Trash Blitz” clean up on Tuesday, April 18^th, with a rain date of April 20^th, which will include the section of Route 9A in Ossining. We often receive complaints about the litter and other debris along 9A, so we are very excited that the DOT is being responsive to these complaints by including it in their Trash Blitz day.

Green Ossining has spent almost an entire year planning its 7^th Annual Earth Day Festival on Saturday, April 22^nd at Louis Engel Park from 11am-4pm. The focus of this year’s festival will be food sustainability, highlighting the many organizations and businesses in Ossining that aim to remediate this important problem facing our world. Also, on Saturday, April 22^nd, the Ossining Historic Cemeteries Conservancy will be holding a grave cleaning & restoration workshop at Dale Cemetery from 9am-12noon. I hope you will be able to participate in these important community events. There is a special event for kids which is part of Earth Day but which requires pre-registration and that happens at Crawbuckie.  Here are the details:

TITLE:  Food Foraging Expert Comes to Ossining!  *IMPORTANT***ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASE REQUIRED BY 4/21.  Not JUST for KIDS!

WHAT:   With the Green Ossining's 7th Annual Earth Day Festival​ theme being food sustainabilty - we thought it would be really cool to show folks how to forage.  Food foraging is not just about searching for wild food resources., its also about being outside and cultivating an intimate appreciation of nature, as well as re-connecting with nature. So, we called in Naturalist, Wildman Steve Brill​, to do the job! Steve is a sought-after and re-known environmental educator with a lengthy resume of impressive accolades and positions.  He regularly performs foraging tours throughout NYC ,Westchester County and Connecticut, and when available, he brings his 10-year old foraging expert daughter, Violet, as a co-lead.

WHEN:Saturday, April 22nd from 930a-10:30a, before the Earth Day Festival begins at 11am at Engel Park.   Plan to arrive at Crawbuckie by 9a/915a.

WHERE Crawbuckie Nature Preserve​ where  we should find chickweed, which tastes like corn, lemony-flavored sheep sorrel and wood sorrel, sweet violets, savory dandelions, field garlic (a superior member of the onion/garlic family), and related day-lilies, which also have a bite. Other spicy greens in the grass or in the woods include poor man’s pepper, hairy bittercress, and garlic mustard, all members of the mustard family. Overgrown areas could harbor a variety of root vegetables.

In the woods, you'll find jewelweed, a major medicinal herb with juice that relieves a variety of skin irritations (from curing insect bites to preventing poison ivy rash), black birch (which contains oil of wintergreen), a low-dose aspirin precursor that makes outstanding tea and an exotic flavoring for pudding and homemade ice cream. There will probably be plenty of sassafras, a renewable tree you can use to make tea, root beer, gumbo, and use an exotic sweet seasoning.

FEE:Adults: $12   Children Under 12: $8

INFORMATION :  Participation is limited. Details and to register go to www.greenossining.org 

Info on Steve Brill: https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

It is finally starting to feel like spring, and it is just about time to start thinking about the many great events coming up in Ossining for the summer. The Jug Tavern Annual Meeting will be held on Monday, May 1^st at 7:30pm, and will feature a presentation from Village Historian Dana White about Sing Sing Prison and its connection to the Sparta neighborhood in Ossining. Admission is free, but space is very limited, so plan ahead if this sounds of interest to you, and RSVP to info@jugtavern.org or 914-432-7281.

Also, on May 1^st, the Briarcliff Rotary is joining a number of other businesses and organizations to sponsor a May Day event at Captain Lawrence Brewery in Elmsford from 6-9pm to benefit the many causes the Rotary supports. There will be beer, wine, food, entertainment and a silent auction. More information is available by emailing or calling Rotary president Scott Lanoff at scottl@asmhome.com or 888-942-8272.

I also want to bring your attention to a great event that Mike and Miriam Risko launched last year, and is scheduled for June 21^st this year– the summer solstice – Make Music Day Ossining-Briarcliff. We were the first community in Westchester to hold Make Music Day, and it was a huge success, highlighting the many talented musicians that call Ossining and Briarcliff home. This is an event that requires a great deal of planning and coordination, and we thank the Riskos for their efforts doing this, so we hope to keep you up to date regarding this event as we get closer and closer to summer. For more information on being involved, please visit www.MikeRiskoMusicSchool.com or call 914-762-8757.

I want to make sure everyone is invited to the grand re-opening of what was formerly known as the Shine House, and will now be known as the Cedar Lane Arts Center, on the afternoon of Friday, April 21^st. Our Parks department has been working very hard to get this new building open, including paving the parking lot and entrance road this week, (please keep in mind that the road to the Arts Center and adjacent parking lot remains closed until Saturday!) and we are very excited to share the product of their hard work with the community. Please RSVP to Victoria in my office at vcafarelli@townofossining.com, or give our office a call at (914) 762-6001.

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Passover, Happy Easter, and Happy Spring!!

-- Dana

This will be a short update, since we are preparing for the Cedar Lane Arts Center grand opening tonight! I do hope to see everyone there for some delicious food from Good Choice Kitchen, extra treats and paper goods courtesy of the Ossining Elks and the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce, great music by Mike and Miriam Risko, innovative artwork curated by the Ossining Arts Council, and a sneak peek at our new programming. The children's craft event will begin at 4PM, but be sure to arrive by 5:30PM to check out the facility and grab a bite before the ribbon cutting and celebration at 6PM. 

Want to hear more about what will be happening inside the Arts Center? Instructors Keith Gordon and Cathy Carabee-Faiella joined us this week at our Town Hall Meeting and gave a quick overview of the programming that will begin shortly. Check out the Recreation brochure to sign up for classes which start in May. We also put together a Powerpoint presentation to show all of the work our Parks crew has done on the building and the site-- you can check that out here as well.

Tonight's grand opening is only the start of an exciting weekend in Ossining. Tomorrow, April 22nd, the Ossining Historic Cemetery Conservancy will be hosting their first gravestone cleaning of the season at Dale Cemetery from 9AM to 12 noon. No experience is required, as folks will be on hand to instruct first-timers. Make sure to wear clothes that you don't mind getting wet or muddy, and take part in the preservation of some of our community's historical assets.

Also on Saturday, April 22nd is Ossining's 7th Annual Earth day Celebration down at Louis Engel Park. Ossining's Earth Day, led by Suzie Ross and Green Ossining, is the largest of its kind in Westchester County, and *fingers crossed*, the weather looks clear with highs around 60 degrees. Green Ossining has put  together a great program again this year with great music, eco-friendly craft vendors, local vegan and vegetarian food, and a new addition this year, a performance by Arm of the Sea Theater. I hope you'll join me at the waterfront, along with 4000+ of our friends and neighbors, to celebrate Earth Day at this zero-waste event and learn more about this year's theme, food sustainability. Bring your recyclable bags for your purchases-- you can plan to buy your food for the week from Down to Earth Farmers Market vendors as well, as they will be set up at the Earth Day event in the park for their special outdoor opening for the season.

After a full day of fun at the waterfront, why not wrap up the day with an evening of jazz? The Blue Jays will be playing at the Elks Lodge starting at 7:30PM, so come on down to hear some cool tunes after a day in the warm sun.

Sunday, April 23rd, will be a great day for history buffs in Ossining.

• The Jug Tavern will be hosting their first Sparta walking tour of the season. Meet at the Jug Tavern at 1PM-- while the tour is free, participation is limited to 20 people. Email Alan@jugtavern.com  to save your place. If Sunday doesn't work with your schedule, not to worry-- tours are scheduled throughout the next few months, so keep your eyes peeled for more info.

• You could also make your way to Downtown Ossining, where Market Square will be transformed into a giant birthday party for the State of New York; all will gather to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the New York State Constitution in 1777. Local leaders and elected officials will offer congratulatory toasts in multiple languages and the nationally-acclaimed Mattatuck Fife & Drums Corps will treat us to 18th century military music on antique instruments. DJ Johnny G will also be on hand to play some of your all-time favorite New York theme songs, and bells will ring out from many of our Churches to commemorate this historic event. The "Happy Birthday, New York" celebration will begin at 2PM.

• Finally, the annual meeting of the Briarcliff Manor Scarborough Historical Society's Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday at Maryknoll, kicking off at 2PM and is set to include a walking tour of the Maryknoll building. You can RSVP to mail@briarcliffhistory.org.

The Community Center will host the Housing Ossining Community Celebration between 12PM and 3PM at the Community Center, where families can learn about the community and our housing stock in an interactive way.

Also on Sunday, Teatown will host "Skulls, Scat and Signs," an all-ages program for anyone who wants to better understand the trails and clues left behind by our animal friends. Pre-registration is required- you can register here. 

Speaking of Teatown, NEXT Saturday, April 29th, Superintendent Ray Sanchez and I will be leading a hike at Teatown, and we will be heading out at 10AM. I hope you will join Superintendent Sanchez and me to explore our local natural resources and all the exciting activities going on at Teatown, in the Town of Ossining and in our Ossining schools.

Also on the 29th, WCT will be holding a benefit concert at their brand new space on Water Street featuring Ossining chanteuse, KJ Denhert. Come down to check out the new space, take in some exceptional crooning, and support the local arts scene. Sign up on the WCT website here.

(WCT will be holding the ribbon cutting on the new space just days before on April 26th at 10AM.)

Although a bit farther out, please mark your calendar for the Jug Tavern Annual Meeting on Monday, May 1st. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Village Historian Dana White is known for her exceptional presentations, and this is one you will not want to miss.

 If you are attending the Cedar Lane Arts Center grand opening tonight and just can't get enough of all things Ossining, consider heading straight to ArtsWestchester in White Plains to see Westchester Collaborative Theater's presentation of Lot's Wife in a new venue! I have seen this production several times, and I think it's great that this Ossining group has been invited by the prestigious ArtsWestchester organization to perform in their space, for one night only!

--Dana

There are no two ways about it: a whole lot has happened since last week's update!

When I wrote to you last Friday, we were headed over to Cedar Lane Park for the grand re-opening of the Shine House and Ice House buildings as what is now the Cedar Lane Arts Center. We knew we would get a crowd, but there was no way we could have anticipated such an enthusiastic showing! More than 200 friends, neighbors and art lovers joined us throughout the afternoon for Cathy Carabee-Faiella's kids craft project, for Good Choice Kitchen's delicious vegan snacks (and the not-so-vegan but oh-so-yummy jalapeno poppers provided by the Ossining Elks and Johnny G), for the unveiling of our beautiful new branding for the CLAC, and to cut the ribbon on this monumental project that we have all watched progress over the past four years.

We followed the ribbon cutting with a toast and brought everyone inside for "birth" / "birthday" cake-- the birth of our Arts Center, and the birthday of our fantastic Parks Foreman, Mario Velardo, who has been the heart and soul of this project since its inception. Del Sol blew our minds with their beautiful interpretation of our park in cake form; it was almost a shame to eat it, but you'd better believe we did!

Once everyone enjoyed their sparkling cider and cake, many of us joined Keith Gordon, who will be managing CLAC, for a pottery demo. It was a beautiful night to be in Ossining, and we have so many people to thank for making it a memory I know I will carry with me forever.

• The current and former Town Boards, especially former Town Supervisor Sue Donnelly, for their vision and enthusiasm about this project
• Our Parks and Highway crews for their tireless work to get us in shape under a tight deadline!
• The Ossining Recreation Advisory Board, Superintendent of Parks and Recreation Chris Soi, Village/Town Engineer Paul Fraioli, and Water Superintendent Andy Tiess for their guidance throughout this process
• Martha Mesiti, our Town Historian, who so lovingly patched together a timeline of activity site over the last century, which allowed us to pay proper respect to the historical significance of the property
• Mark Sarazen and the Ossining Arts Council, for curating an amazing show to display at the opening
• Brian Sheridan, the winner of the sign contest (wait until you see what we have in store for this outstanding design!)
• Laurie Gershgorn of Good Choice Kitchen for helping us to provide healthy and innovative food
• Mike and Miriam Risko, for serenading us throughout the evening with great tunes
• The Ossining Elks, the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce, and the Ossining Organic Community Garden
• Del Sol Bakery, David Schofield at SBS and the Ossining Fire Department for helping us get our act together and being generally amazing

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not thank the families of our employees who have been working practically around the clock for the last few weeks to get us to the big day-- hopefully, now that the opening is behind us, they can slow down a little-- at least until the next project begins!

Believe it or not, that next project is not so far away. We are getting ready to start work on 2 of our 3 pavilions over the next several weeks, and much of this week was spent ordering new barbeque grills, hot ash cans, and other supplies to get the Ryder Park and Cedar Lane Park pavilions ready to rent this summer. We will also be blocking out three new picnic areas down at Louis Engel Park, each with it's own grill and picnic tables, which we think will add quite a bit of value to what is perhaps our most used park in the summertime. We haven't forgotten about Gerlach! Gerlach's pavilion is probably in the best shape and will require some special additions (re-paving the access road, repairing the retaining wall, and engineering a path from the restrooms, etc.), so we are going to work on that one after the rental season has passed. This is all part of our Open Space Revitalization Capital project, focused on our Town Parks and Dale Cemetery, that the Town Board authorized earlier this year. There is no shortage of work to be done, so we are working with our Parks Foreman and Superintendent of Cemeteries to decide on a schedule that works for everyone (and with Mother Nature.) Stay tuned for more information about these transformational projects.

Our other big event this week was the Arbor Day Celebration this morning at Anne M. Dorner Middle School. My office coordinated this special day with Ms. Regina Cellio, Principal, and Ms. Dulce Barker, Assistant Principal at AMD, and the staff at AMD took care of the rest! We had several hundred students join us, many of whom read poems, drew posters, and gave great information on the environmental value of trees, and there was even an orchestra who treated us to some live music!

We were joined by Councilwoman Liz Feldman, Superintendent Raymond Sanchez and School Board Trustee Felix Flores, as well as some members of the grounds staff who helped us position the tree.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate one of our greatest natural resources, and we were in good company- today, communities all over the nation celebrated in very much the same way, and I feel proud to be part of a community that values our trees. After all, the Town of Ossining is a Tree City!

(We did hit one "tiny" snag, though-- the trees that we ordered were delivered yesterday, and lo and behold, they were saplings... very, very, small saplings. The folks at AMD had to scurry out to buy a bigger tree, but the good news is that the students at the middle school can now watch the saplings grow and change inside the building until they are ready for the big time outdoors!

Additionally, we celebrated Earth Day, hosted by Green Ossining and the unstoppable Suzie Ross.  Even though the weather wasn’t as perfect as was ordered, we still had an amazing turnout, and the addition of the Farmers Market was well received, especially with the focus of the festival on Food Sustainability.  We also announced the winners of the Anne M. Dorner Middle School Poster Contest. The grand prize went to Aaron Song, with Sofia Rajput the Runner Up, and Honorable Mentions to Kate Lowenthal and Alexandra Beckford. So many people made this event possible, including the wonderful volunteers from the Green Ossining committee, as well as Town and Village Parks and DPW staff.  We are so grateful for the teamwork that makes these events seem effortless. 

Sunday, Honorable former Village Mayor Miguel Hernandez put together a wonderful event at Market Square to celebrate the 240^th birthday of the New York State Constitution. The Matatuck Fife and Drum band came to serenade us with patriotic tunes popular since the founding of our country and our state, and church bells rang out throughout the town to mark the occasion.   Many of us participated by wishing New York State a happy birthday.  I was honored to be able to share that message in Spanish and in Dutch. 

Monday night I attended a friend-raiser at the home of Jeanette Gerber and Matko Peckay, hosted by Stephanie Lynn Kleiman to hear more about the Sing Sing Prison Museum and all the promise it holds for the Town and Village of Ossining as well as the surrounding region. This project was recognized in 2014 as a Priority Project in the Mid Hudson Region for economic development. It has continued to evolve and we are hopeful the charter for the museum will be approved next week by the State Education Department.  Further funding is needed, so see below for more information about how the Town might be involved in helping facilitate.

Wednesday morning we had the opportunity to celebrate another ribbon cutting, that of Westchester Collaborative Theater (WCT) at 23 Main Street right behind 6 Degrees of Separation (who had their ribbon cutting last week!) Having a black box theater available for performances of all kinds in Ossining is so exciting. WCT has already performed a main stage theater production there, to much acclaim (Lot’s Wife), and since then has hosted Cabaret Nights (another one will happen tomorrow night—see the announcements below for more info), and will have other music and art events in the near future.  Our Village and Town are just hopping with exciting new places and spaces and opportunities to engage in the arts, good food, great conversation, and generally a good time.

On Wednesday we visited the Town of New Castle to further discuss and develop a plan for identifying a bike lane connectivity between the Village of Ossining, the Town of Ossining and Millwood/Town of New Castle/North County Trailway.  We were lucky to have had Jane Daniels, co-author of Walkable Westchester and member of Yorktown Trail Town committee, as well as a representative from the NYS DOT, and advisors from our Environmental Advisory Committee to discuss next steps to take to make sure we consider all the possibilities, from low hanging fruit to “Cadillac” routes, before we bring in additional stakeholders.  A Village of Ossining Resident, Kate Marshall, was able to identify bike routes she believed might be the most viable by using  a special map application for cyclists, and we worked off of her maps and those the Westchester County Planning Department developed so we can now drive these routes together to start to eliminate or refine them. Our next meeting in early June will be a mini-bus tour of the routes we are considering.  Meanwhile, NYSDOT has offered to study the straightest of routes, 133, to see what the feasibility and costs might be to make the road safely bike-able.  We anticipate a draft report from the State in October.

On Thursday,  I had an opportunity to join many of my women colleagues in local, state and county government at the annual League of Women Voters sponsored event Running & Winning at the YWCA in White Plains, to work with young women in high schools throughout Westchester County to inspire them to consider running for public office.  I enjoyed the opportunity to share with these young women the great honor it is to serve the public, as well as why I think they were hand selected by staff in their schools to attend the event and how that should work as impetus for them to seriously consider running for elected office. I think that collectively all the inspirational stories they heard from the many elected officials, including Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Westchester County Legislator and Majority Leader Catherine Borgia, and NY State Senator and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins really did have an impact on these women and I look forward to hearing of their future successes.

Also on Thursday, I attended a board meeting of the Sing Sing Prison Museum and am pleased to report that they have secured office space on Main Street in Downtown Ossining, as well as have added board members to the museum board. They have also recently  completed an incredible printed document which will be the case for support they will use to secure private dollars to match the public investment the state is making in this project. Tune in to our Work Session this Tuesday to hear from Jerry Faiella, Historic Hudson River Towns Executive Director, to learn more about what has transpired with this project over the last few months and to consider how the Town may be able to help propel the project forward to enhance economic development opportunities for our area.

Although not related to the Museum Project, we have been informed that Sing Sing Prison has posted several job openings, including four for RNs, one for a General mechanic, one for a Plant Utility Assisant and one for a Plumber & Steamfitter. If interested, email Julietta Mitchel at Julietta.Mitchel@doccs.ny.gov, or give her a call at (914) 941-0108 ext. 3600. You can check out the job descriptons here; which all offer a generous benefits package including health, dental and vision insurance. Please share far and wide!

Before I tell you about the exciting weekend ahead, I want to give an update on the Town Board's progress with our Zoning Law. This past Tuesday evening, the Board held a Work Session before the Regular Meeting to discuss where we are and where we are headed on this work. We had many members of the public attend the meeting, most of whom are residents of the Crotonville neighborhood. The Board adjourned this Public Hearing until the next Regular Meeting on May 9th, and we are going to be discussing the topic again at the Town Board Work Session this coming Tuesday, May 2nd, but I did want to take a moment to clarify some misinformation that has gotten back to the Board about some rumors swirling around the Unincorporated Area. 

A document has been circulated to many Ossining homeowners in the Crotonville neighborhood which seems to imply that the Town Board's public hearings about the potential re-zoning of parcels in Crotonville is somehow related to the Sunshine Home expansion and the proposed Hudson Education and Wellness Center on Quaker Ridge Road. While we have been hearing from some Ossining residents about these proposed projects, I want to stress that they are not under our jurisdiction and are in no way related to the local law on which the Town has been working. We have asked the Town of Ossining Planning Board to give the Town Board an advisory opinion on the proposed development of the former Hudson Institute property, and once received, we will decide if or how to proceed. I know I speak for my Board colleagues when I say that the Town of Ossining is happy to hear from our residents about issues, even if they are not within our boundaries, that impact the quality of life here in Ossining, but it is crucial not to confuse issues in which we have a say with issues in which we do not. If you have any questions or concerns about the above, feel free to call my office at (914) 762-6001 and I will be happy to clarify.

Why not kick off the weekend with some great live music? Ossining's own The Soul Projekt will be playing tonight at Maya Riviera on North State Road, starting at 9PM. As for tomorrow? The weather is warming up, and we are going to be well over 80 degrees on Saturday. I hope you will join me and Superintendent Ray Sanchez tomorrow for our hike at Teatown starting at 10AM on Saturday morning, and also at some of the other great events happening around Ossining.

Also on Saturday, May 6th? Green Ossining's Semi-Annual Tag Sale! Get more information here. As you travel around Town to the various tag sale sites, you could also stop by The Lantern Gift Shop's Spring Fling (between 10AM and 3PM) and Spring Tea Luncheon (between 11:30AM and 2:30PM) at St. Pauls on the Hill to pick up a beautiful gift for the important moms in your life.

A great compliment to this program is "Demystifying Medicare for Seniors" on Saturday, May 6th at 1PM, also at the Ossining Public Library. If you or someone you love are getting close to 65 and feeling overwhelmed by how your healthcare provision may change, be sure to check out this free program presented by Livable Communites and the Cedar Manor Nursing & Rehab Center. You can register by calling (914) 231-3236.

Also, last minute reminder: the last day to turn in Town/County tax payments without penalty is Monday, May 1st. Monday is also the last day to file your exemptions with the Assessor's Office. I suspect we will see many of you on the 3rd floor of 16 Croton!

-- Dana