Report from the Board of Trustees Meeting on 12.4.2023

ICYMI, you can watch Village Board meetings online.

Left to Right: Judge Kyle McGovern, Trustee Robert Hoyt, Trustee David Kim, Trustee Effie Philips-Staley, Mayor Karen Brown, Deputy Mayor Becky McGovern, Trustee Paul Rinaldi, Trustee Thomas Mitchell

• Swearing-In of Elected Officials: Village Justice Kyle McGovern, Mayor Karen Brown, Deputy Mayor Becky McGovern, Trustee David Kim, and Trustee Effie Phillips-Staley were all sworn in following their re-election in November.

• Appointments and Re-Appointments at the Annual Organizational Meeting: At this time of year, the Village takes the opportunity to assess the make-up of its Boards and Committees. For those volunteers who have submitted an application to serve on a Committee or Board, this is when more vacancies arise. Some of the newest volunteer members appointed to Boards and Committees at the Organizational Meeting include Alex Marte as an Alternate on the Planning Board, Molly Canu as a member of the Architectural Review Board, and Mark Nattier on the Tree Commission. Thank you so much to all who choose to donate time in service to the Village. A full list of members of Village Boards and Committees can be found on the Village website. For information about how to submit a volunteer application, please check out our Volunteer page with links to information about Village Boards and Committees.

• Water Meter Replacements: The Village is winding down the water meter-replacement project which has been ongoing since April. With fewer than 200 meters remaining to be replaced, the Village is asking anyone who has not scheduled an appointment for a water meter replacement, to please reach out to Saks Metering at (914) 502-3333 or 877-583-7257 or go online to schedule an appointment at https://saksmetering.com/. More information can be found on the Village website. In order to ensure that all meters are replaced, the Village and its installation contractor are reaching out to remaining households. As a last resort, the Board approved the addition of a penalty for non-compliance to allow for an enforcement mechanism short of cutting off water service. For those who have already had their meter replaced, thank you for your cooperation. We will be including information in the next water bill about a new online application available to help track water consumption and monitor for issues. Stay tuned!

Coming up:

The Board of Trustees will hold its next Work Session on Wednesday, December 13 at 6pm. The agenda for the Work Session can be found here.

Want to learn what's on the docket for the Board of Trustees? You can sign up to receive agendas in your inbox here.

Interested in what is currently before the Land Use Boards? Sign up to receive agendas in your inbox, or find them posted on the website, three days before the scheduled meeting.

Current applications before the Planning and Zoning Boards can be viewed online:

Planning

Zoning Board of Appeals

Left to Right: Lt. Chris Cole, Chief John Barbelet, Lt. Joe Barosa, Lt. Greg Budnar

Congratulations, Tarrytown Police Department, for Accreditation Achievement

This week the Tarrytown Police Department received accreditation from the New York State Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Program administered by the NYS Department of Criminal Justice. Through an independent review process, the accreditation program evaluates the overall effectiveness of the police department and performance of its staff using 111 rigorous standards established by a statewide Council judging quality and professionalism in the law enforcement field.

The Tarrytown Police Department has spent the better part of three years preparing for its review. The process included evaluating and amending policies, implementing recommended procedures and documenting compliance and implementation. For four days in September the Department underwent a thorough in-person assessment by independent reviewers and passed with flying colors.

The Accreditation Program is designed to increase effectiveness and efficiency of police departments across the state, ensure appropriate training for officers, and to promote public confidence and trust. The effort required to achieve accredited status is significant as indicated by the fact that only 30% of law enforcement agencies in the State have succeeded. The Tarrytown Police Department deserves hearty congratulations on this achievement. More information about the program can be found on the Department of Criminal Justice website.

Con Edison Updates

Con Edison gas work update for the week of December 11 through 15, 2023:

• Work will be continuing along Main Street, White Street, Franklin Street and Riverview with the goal of completing this phase of construction and abandoning the old main in place. This area will also experience mechanical and gas service line switchover work.

• Work continues in the Midland Ave., Ridgewood Terrace and Kerwin Place area, although some rock has been encountered during the excavation activities, slowing work. Crews are up in the area of the back entrance/exit to Hackley.

• Franklin Courts work is almost done to the utility building in the complex. The switchover from the old gas main to the new gas main at the utility building is planned to take place later in the week.

• Miller Park will be the next area where the gas main crews will be performing construction, including Park, Independence, Church, Miller, Riverview and Macarthur.

• Holidays – There will be no work during the week between Christmas and New Years.

• Pavement and road restoration – Due to the cold weather setting in and the closure of the asphalt plants for repaving, the roads will be restored to “rough pavement” grade for the winter. Final finish-grade asphalt paving will take place in the Spring when the warm weather returns and the asphalt plants reopen. 

Leaf Collection

The Village is winding down its annual leaf collection program. Going forward, if you have additional leaves that need to be collected, please place them in bio-degradable bags and leave them out for collection on Thursdays. Alternatively, you may consider healthy yard practices like mulching in place. For more on "Love Em and Leave Em" guidance, check out the the LELE website.

From the School District

Community Forum Webinar hosted by School District on 11/28/2023

Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)

Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining"!

Help TVAC purchase a Life-saving Device

The Tarrytown Volunteer Ambulance Corps is conducting a fundraising campaign to purchase two Lucas CPR Devices, one for each ambulance. Their fundraising goal is $40,000 and they have only raised $6,760 toward their goal so far. They have a long way to go! Consider contributing toward their campaign. More information can be found on their website, including information about how to score TVAC merchandise which also supports the cause.

For more information about the campaign and how to help:

https://www.tarrytownems.org/fundraising

Appointments Still Available For Blood Drive

Only 20 out of 30 appointments are filled for the winter blood drive at the Senior Center. Please consider signing up to donate blood and help save a life this season.

RECREATION RUNDOWN

For information about all of the upcoming events and programs organized by the Recreation Department, click here, or sign up to get the news straight to your inbox every other week.

Tarrytown Honored by Hudson Valley Regional Council

Tarrytown was awarded along with five other Rivertowns communities with the Building Bridges Award at a ceremony in Newburgh, NY on Wednesday, December 6. Trustee Thomas Mitchell and Co-Chair of TEAC, Dean Gallea, accepted the honor on behalf of the Village. The Building Bridges Award recognizes a municipality or group of municipalities that has demonstrated a significant commitment to collaboration and partnership. Together the volunteers on our environmental councils, staff, and elected officials up and down the Hudson River have worked well together on environmental protection measures that impact us all. We are thrilled to have that collaborative success be recognized. Thank you HVRC!

Find the latest TEAC Newsletter here:

From the Chamber:

Winners of the Holiday Decoration Contest

The Sleepy Hollow Tarrytown Chamber of Commerce held its 3rd Annual Winter Stroll Decoration Contest on December 2nd. 21 merchants from Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow participated with Holiday Decorations as well as special discounts and Holiday treats.

The winners are:

GRAND PRIZE: The Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns

2nd PRIZE: Los Andes Bakery

3rd PRIZE: Coco Taqueria

Prizes Sponsored by Dalia Valdes/Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty PRIZES: Grand Prize: $250 Second Prize: $150 Third Prize: $ 100. We thank all of the chamber members who participated!

To see photos of all contestants please visit the Holiday Decorations page on the Chamber website.

Other Volunteer Opportunities

Village Committees are not the only way to give back to your community. There are lots of civic groups in Tarrytown doing important work. Like TEAC, the Friends of the Riverwalk are looking for volunteers to help maintain the plantings on the waterfront. Many more organizations are listed in the Volunteer Directory that has been assembled by the Community Coalition and Kids Club of the Tarrytowns.

New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)

FY24 Capital Project Fund Opportunity Now Open!

Up to $37 million in capital funding is available to nonprofit arts and culture organizations through the New York State Council on the Arts' Capital Projects Fund. The Fund has two grant categories: Small and Midsized Capital Improvement Grants and Large Capital Improvement Grants.

Deadline is January 11, 2024 at 4 pm EST. No extensions will be granted.

Watch Capital Opportunity webinars and register for office hours here.

For more information, visit https://arts.ny.gov/

Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI)

More than $500 million in federal funding is now available to support the resurgence of small businesses across New York State through the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), a program through the American Rescue Plan Act. Managed by the U.S. Department of Treasury, SSBCI provides funds to support programs for small businesses to recover from the economic effects of COVID-19 and allow them opportunity to succeed in the post-pandemic economy.

Visit esd.ny.gov/ssbci for information on resources available

Did you know?

Local businesses can find resources, classes and other opportunities on the Westchester Catalyst website:

https://westchestercatalyst.com/events/

Tuition Reimbursement Program for EMS AND Fire Volunteers

Citizen volunteers are often called on to respond to emergency situations in Westchester County. Due to a variety of factors, local volunteer fire departments and volunteer Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies are currently experiencing a critical need to recruit and retain members.

As an incentive for local residents to serve at volunteer fire departments and EMS agencies the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services (DES), has developed a program of recruitment and retention incentives for volunteer emergency services agencies. The program is designed to provide tuition or student loan reimbursement to volunteers for their service in the County.

For more info: https://emergencyservices.westchestergov.com/contact-us/h-e-r-r-o