March 19, 2024

Did you see the Bunny on a fire truck this weekend? Well, our famous Bunny hopped all over the Village and Town of Ossining this past Saturday. Thank you to the Ossining Police Department and Fire Department for all your help on this special day.

The Village of Ossining Mayor and Board of Trustees has named a new police chief following the December 2023 retirement of Police Chief Kevin Sylvester. The official swearing-in ceremony by the Village of Ossining Board of Trustees for the provisional appointment of Aaron Zimmerman to the position of Chief of Police was held on Wednesday, March 13^th. He replaces Interim Police Chief Brendan Donohue, who will remain in service to the Ossining Police Department in his position as Captain. The Board of Trustees thanks Captain Donohue for his service in his expanded role during the transition. 

Chief Zimmerman is a 20-year veteran of the Ossining Police Department, serving the community in various positions, most recently as Detective Lieutenant. During his tenure in the Ossining Police Department, he earned various certifications with the FBI National Academy Associates and New York Division of Criminal Justice Services and was a member of the SWAT team for 16 years, earning the position of Commander. Zimmerman, an Ossining High School graduate, holds a Bachelor of Science from SUNY Oneonta. He is an active volunteer of the Yorktown Athletic Club, a member of the Hudson Valley Lacrosse Officials Association and the Westchester Putnam Wrestling Officials Association, and former President of the Ossining Police Benevolent Association.

Chief Zimmerman joins a long line of strong, forward-thinking Chiefs in the Ossining Police Department. We are fortunate to have a Chief at the helm who has diverse leadership experience within the Department and who also has longstanding and meaningful ties to the Ossining community. I expect big things from Chief Zimmerman as we enter a new chapter, and I have confidence that he will build a strong team and exceptional Police Department for the community.

Ossining’s own Alice Joselow was recognized at today’ Hudson Valley Youth Bureau Association event for her tireless and outstanding commitment to serving Ossining’s youth. We owe Alice a debt of gratitude for her role in bringing the Youth Bureau to Ossining and for the work she has done to ensure its success since its inception.

Congratulations Alice!

Ninth in our series of volunteer committee spotlights:

The mission of the Ossining Youth Bureau (OYB) is to connect youth to positive services and programs that will help promote education, physical and emotional health, civic engagement, economic security, health choices, and a sense of belonging to the community.

The Youth Council is our way of having youth represent youth in the Ossining community. This group of young people meets to discuss the issues that are important to them and the programs they would like the Youth Bureau to support.

The Green Project is an example of an idea the Youth Council wanted to pursue. The OYB ran a program at Teatown where teens and preteens learned about and helped remove invasive plant species. The Youth Council plans to do other projects throughout the year. 

The Ossining STEM Program includes hands-on projects that promote critical thinking, innovation, and creativity for the middle school participants. This is another example of a successful partnership. In this program, the Youth Council works with Homerun Against Drugs. 

I look forward to hearing the next set of ideas from the Youth Council on how we can continue to meet their needs.

Click here to view the Village of Ossining’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB).

The remaining volunteer boards/ committees to be spotlighted are:

• Placemaking Committee
• Zoning Board of Appeals

Early Voting for the April 2nd, 2024, Presidential Primary Election will be held in Ossining at the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center at 95 Broadway. Westchester County voters registered in the Democratic and Republican parties are eligible to cast an early voting ballot. Registered voters can cast their ballot at ANY of the twenty-four (24) designated early voting locations. Croton and Ossining locations are listed below.

• Croton Municipal Building, 1 Van Wyck Street, Croton on Hudson, NY 10520
• Joseph G. Caputo Community Center, 95 Broadway, Ossining, NY 10562

Click here for more info on early voting: https://elections.ny.gov/early-voting

As discussed during the Transportation Partnering Committee (TPC) meeting on February 13, 2024, please find the final Modernization of Briarcliff-Peekskill Parkway Engineering Scoping Report Executive Summary.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Sandra Jobson, Regional Planning and Program Manager at the New York State Department of Transportation, Hudson Valley (Sandra.Jobson @ dot.ny.gov). 

Click here to review the report: https://bit.ly/3TeGVuK

This week’s Legislative Meeting will take place at 7:30PM on Wednesday, March 20^th, at the Courthouse.

Some items of note:

• We will begin with two public hearings:
• The first is a continuation of the Public Hearing on the Events Policy local law
• The second is the first time opening the Public Hearing on the local law detailing the proposed zoning changes
• The BOT has a resolution to release a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a Structural Engineering consultant.
• The BOT also has a resolution authorizing the Village Manager to sign a license agreement with Penny Lick Ice Cream Company.
• There are also resolutions for each of the items Water Superintendent Andy Tiess presented at last week’s meeting: one authorizes the Village Manager to sign a 3-year service contract with Hach for IBWTP equipment maintenance, and the other authorizes the signing of a proposal from Arcadis to design and assist with bidding and construction administration on the Old Croton Aqueduct Vault Piping Improvements project.
• Finally, the BOT has a resolution to approve a 2024 Cabaret License for The Boathouse. 

Village of Ossining | www.villageofossining.org