June 18, 2024

Ossining's Joseph G. Caputo Community Center is available this week as a cooling center during the excessive heat. The community center will be offering a safe place to cool down through Sunday as follows:

Tuesday: 8am-9pm

Wednesday (closed in observance of Juneteenth)

Thursday: 8am–9pm

Friday: 8am-9pm

Saturday: 8am-6pm

Sunday: 9am-3pm

The Ossining Aquatic Center is available for open swim during this time as follows for a fee of $5 per person for those in the community that are not members:

Tuesday: 12:00–3:00p, & 7:30–8:30pm

Wednesday (closed in observance of Juneteenth)

Thursday: 12:00–3:00pm & 7:30–8:30pm

Friday: 12:00–3:00pm

Saturday: 12:00-6:00pm

Sunday: 12:00-3:00pm

For a fun and cool outdoor option, the Spray Pad at Louis Engel Waterfront Park will be open daily throughout the summer (including Wednesday, June 19th) from 12pm to 7pm. It's a great way to beat the heat and enjoy the summer.

This Friday, June 21st, Mike Risko Music will proudly celebrate the 10th year of Make Music Day 2024, a significant milestone for our community here in Ossining!

This special event, unique to Ossining, features live music for all to enjoy and even opportunities to make music.

For the first time, the Mike Risko Band will perform live music in The Weir Chamber (requires RSVP-click here: https://aqueduct.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=221). Music begins at noon and will be followed by a tour (this is truly an Ossining MUST SEE!). The Weir Chamber has never featured live music, making this a truly unique experience.

Celebrate a day filled with music and community, and enjoy free events throughout the Ossining area. For more information or to RSVP, email mikersikomusic@gmail.com. 

This weekend is the 5th Annual Ossining Juneteenth Festival, held at the Louis Engel Waterfront Park, beginning at noon on Saturday!

Enjoy shopping opportunities, amazing entertainment, and multi-ethnic foods.

The Village of Ossining has rescheduled last night’s (June 17) and Saturday’s (June 24) Multi-Modal Transportation Hub – Community Input Sessions to next week due to the fact that key members of our team have tested positive for COVID. While this is an unfortunate reminder that COVID is still with us, it is important to us to keep the health and well-being of our community top of mind. The CDC notes that it is important to remember to avidly wash hands, as this can help prevent transmission from contact with contaminated surfaces and can help further reduce the risk of transmission.

Please mark your calendars for the first of our next set of community engagement sessions, beginning on Monday, June 24th, at 6:30 PM & Saturday, June 29^th @ 10 AM. This is a vital step in the development and design of the Multi-Modal Transportation Hub, and your active participation is key to its success. Both sessions will be held at the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center (95 Broadway) in the Multi-Purpose Room (Lower Level).

The Village of Ossining is now in the design phase for a Multi-Modal Transportation Hub (MMTH) that will be used for parking, e-bike charging, and rentals. It will be located in the Brandreth parking lot.

For those who have been following the Village's progress since being awarded a $10M grant from NYS, this will be our first approved project that will move from concept to reality!

The Hub will support the Village of Ossining's redevelopment of the two most centrally-located and desirable properties in the downtown, which are currently used as surface parking following the demolition of buildings during Urban Renewal. For many years, these parking lots, located at Spring and Main Streets in the heart of the Village, have been the subject of redevelopment studies and conceptual plans; however, the lack of parking alternatives presented a significant impediment. With DRI funding, Market Square will be transformed with new landscaping to create a greatly enhanced open-air plaza. The two surface parking lots adjacent to the post office will become the home of "Spring on Main"; this mixed-use property will further activate Ossining's Main Street business district with retail space, improved street scaping, and residential rental apartments. These project elements combine to represent a major step towards a more sustainable and vibrant future for Ossining.

Unable to attend Monday's event? We will have a recording available afterward and invite you to our other in-person session on Saturday, June 29, from 10 AM to noon.

There will be ample time for community questions & comments, ensuring your voice is heard, and your ideas are considered.

Click here for more info: https://www.villageofossining.org/nys-dri/pages/hub

This July, the Village of Ossining will be expanding our community solar program!

We are thrilled to announce that a solar canopy will be installed in the parking lot located on the east side of the train station this summer. Unlike traditional solar panels located on private property, this innovative project will benefit the entire community by making solar energy accessible to all, including households who cannot install solar panels where they live. This model significantly increases access to clean energy, offering a unique opportunity for our community to actively contribute to a greener future and enjoy the benefits of sustainable living while saving money in the process.

Construction is expected to begin on Monday, July 15th, and is expected to impact Commuter Parking at the Train Station through September 6th. In the coming weeks, you can expect to hear from us via the Mayor's Message, the Clerk's Office, the Weekly Web Blast, and social media regarding parking alternatives for Commuter Permit holders and daily-parkers, providing updates on construction, and explaining how low-to-moderate income residents can save money on their electric bills through this program.

Drivers can now type their license plate number into a kiosk or use the Passport app to pay for parking in the Village's muni-lots, located in the Market Square area. Our new self-payment parking kiosks accept cash and credit card payments (exact change required) for drivers who prefer to pay this way vs. using the Passport parking app. By using the parking kiosk, you can avoid paying a convenience fee.

As you may recall, regular parking enforcement went into effect for the Spring/Main Street East lot (next to Market Square) and Spring/Main Street West lot (next to the post office) parking lots in January of this year. We learned from a 2021 study (Mobility & Parking Management Study: Final Report (6.2021) that the most centrally located and desirable lots closest to the downtown businesses needed to be quickly turned over to become available for all visitors throughout the business day. It was suggested that to encourage such turnover, the Village should make the parking spots in both lots metered.

From the NYS DEC: It’s National Pollinator Week!

This week, we recognize the importance of protecting pollinators. Insects like bees, butterflies, wasps, beetles, flies, and even some birds and small mammals such as bats and honey possums, who, through their abilities, have the important task of helping carry pollen from one part of a plant to the other, which later enables the production of new seeds, fruits, and other plants.

We want to continue promoting the state’s pollinator population's health and raise awareness about what we can do to protect their vital role in nature and our economies.

Pollinators are one of the most important species in terrestrial ecosystems, impacting humans and animals' food chains. In the U.S. we have at least 100 crops that benefit directly from pollinators and 25% of all birds and mammals have their diet fulfilled from fruits and seeds derived from pollination processes.

To offer recommendations and study more about this important part of the environment, DEC has published the New York State Pollinator Protection Plan (PDF) and the 2020 Pollinator Protection Plan Update that focuses on conserving and growing the pollinator population in the State.

How can you help?

You can be involved in several small ways by choosing wisely when applying pesticides:

• Read the label carefully before applying anything to your garden.
• Apply chemicals at night when pollinators, especially bees, are less active.

You can also think about growing your garden to help pollinators prosper, planting certain flowers, like native species that provide nectar and pollen, or you can even work on a more ambitious project like your very own beehive in the backyard.

To obtain more information on how to upgrade your garden plants to preserve and protect these valuable members of the New York ecosystem, check out our "Green Your Backyard" video for tips. Because we envision a future where pollinators will thrive!

Please note that in observance of Juneteenth, we will be hosting our Legislative Meeting tonight, Tuesday, June 18th, @ 7:30 PM at the Birdsall-Fagan Police Court Facility instead of Wednesday, as our offices will be closed on June 19th.

Some items of note:

1. We will begin with (2) public hearings: 1) on a Local Law repealing sections of Chapters 95 (Buildings and Structures) & 162 (Housing/ Property Maintenance), and adding a Chapter 92 (as discussed, this will help to align the Village’s code with NYS), and 2) on a Local Law adding a Chapter 205, which will create a Rental Registry.
2. The BOT then has a resolution to authorize a three-year contract with our new Workers Comp Third Party Administrator, effective October 1, 2024.
3. The Board will have a resolution to authorize the proposal for Manganaro Engineers, as well as the related easement agreement with Deerfield Homeowners Association, for the 9A water main replacement.
4. The BOT will then have a resolution to sign an MOU with Sustainable Westchester for the upcoming Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) agreement.
5. The BOT will have a resolution to call for a Public Hearing on a local law that amend chapter 91 of the Village Code by narrowing the window to dispute a land use consultant bill from 15 days to 5 days.
6. The Board will then have a resolution to update the 2024 fee schedule for new/upcoming legislation, including Driveway Paving Permits, the Rental Registry, the Vacant Storefront Registry, and various Special Event-related costs.
7. The BOT will then have a resolution to enter into an IMA with Westchester County for the purchase of various mobile radio system elements for mutual aid.
8. Under New Business, we will have 2 resolutions:

• The first is to authorize the first phase of Site/License Agreements with Drop Mobility, who will be the hardware provider for the Project MOVER bikeshare component.
• The BOT will be asked to pass a resolution establishing a Capital Project for the Sparta Playground replacement (funded by a CREST grant).

In observance of Juneteenth all Village offices (including the Community Center) are closed on Wednesday, June 19^th.

Village of Ossining | www.villageofossining.org