Village News article section from Croton Blog in Croton on Hudson

Section: Village News

Croton Launches Community 'Victory Garden'

July 4, 2009

Using unspent money left over from the prior fiscal year’s allocation for green initiatives, the Village Board recently approved fencing, a water connection, and some starter soil to establish a pilot community Victory Garden.

In 1943, Americans planted over 20 million Victory Gardens. The harvest from those gardens accounted for nearly a third of all the vegetables that Americans consumed that year. Croton’s first Victory Garden will be located on an unused lawn adjacent to the parking lot of Silver Lake Park at the end of Truesdale Drive in Croton-on-Hudson (map). This effort is an initiative of the Village’s new Sustainability Team, which is currently in formation.

Village residents are invited to enter a lottery for a plot in a new organic garden under construction. Interested gardeners should submit their name to the village by July 17, 2009.

Details on how to submit your name are available: http://village.croton-on-hudson.ny.us/PublicDocuments/CrotonHudsonNYBoard/025C10D2-000F8513

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Ice Cream Throwdown: Monkey vs. Pig

June 7, 2009

Monkey

Photo: Olivia W., 06/08/09

The Purple Monkey
171 Riverside Avenue (Croton Commons) Croton-on-Hudson, New York 10520

Pig

Photo: Olivia W., 06/08/09

The Blue Pig
121 Maple Street Croton-on-Hudson, New York 10520

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Croton Farmer's Market Kicks Off Wednesday

Buying locally produced food directly from farmers and bakers is about to get a whole lot more convenient this summer. Community Markets is opening a midweek farmers market in Croton that runs into the evening. Designed for commuters and those shoppers who are too busy to visit the neighboring weekend markets, the Croton Market will be held a short distance from the Croton Metro-North train station in the former skateboard park on Municipal Place and Riverside Avenue every Wednesday from 2-7 p.m. starting on June 10th.

“We want to encourage people to shop more often at farmers markets,” says Miriam Haas, director of Community Markets. “Because it is so close to the train station, the market will be very convenient for commuters on their way home from work,” she says.

The eclectic array of local foods that will be available include: a wide variety of organic vegetables and herbs from Little Seed Gardens, a certified organic grower from Chatam, NY; annual and perennial plants, fruits and vegetables from Hodgson’s Farm, Walden, NY; pasture raised beef and kielbasa from Kiernan Farm, Gardiner, NY; decadent desserts from Dutch Desserts, Kinderhook, NY; breads and baked goods from Meredith’s Bread, Kingston, NY; Savory pastries from Pika’s Quiche, Big Indian, NY; organic, locally roasted nuts and nut butters from Tierra Farms, Valatie, NY; old fashioned barrel pickles from Doc Pickle, Wayne, NJ; Beltane Farm from Connecticut will be selling fresh goat milk cheese with organic herbs and goats milk yogurt; there will be fresh berries, produce, horseradish and homemade quince jellies from Athanas Farm, Hyde Park, NY; and locally made wines from Millbrook Vineyard and Winery, Millbrook, NY.

While there is clearly a delicious mix of products lined up for Croton this summer, Haas expects the market will serve the community in other ways as well, “I hope the market will be able to provide even more than local food,” she says. “I would like it to be a place where people can relax and slow down and catch up with neighbors, maybe on the way back from picking up a friend or family member at the train station.”

“I’m thrilled that the Village has been successful in establishing a Farmer’s Market”, added Village Trustee Ann Gallelli. “After years of discussion, this is finally going to happen and Community Markets have the experience to make this a successful venture.”

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Croton Auto Park Apparently Spared by Chrysler

May 18, 2009

According to the following document, Croton Auto Park is not listed as one of the 800 Chrysler dealers to be closed by the corporation.

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Law & Government Business & Law Chrysler

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Spano and Wiegman Open Croton Landing Park to All

May 12, 2009

In a partnership that shows exactly what RiverWalk is all about, Westchester County and the village of Croton have completed the transformation of a blighted and overgrown property into a rare slice of scenic Hudson River waterfront where you get a clear view of Haverstraw Bay and Croton Point.

In fact, the newly paved path that now runs the length of Croton Landing Park along the river’s edge is the longest continuous segment of the RiverWalk, the trail that will eventually extend 51.5 miles from the Bronx to Peekskill. With this new addition, pedestrians can walk south along Elliott Way and all the way to Croton Point, adding another 2.75 miles by circling the park peninsula.

County Executive Andy Spano will join Croton Mayor Leo Wiegman and a group of village supporters to officially christen Croton Landing park as the newest link in RiverWalk at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 13.

The project, which is the result of a decade-long collaboration between the county and village of Croton, brings the total of miles of RiverWalk completed to 31.5, including existing paths and sidewalks. Another strip is under construction in Tarrytown, to be unveiled next summer, and segments in Ossining and Yonkers are currently in design and should follow in 2011.

“The pieces are falling into place and our dream of a continuous RiverWalk is becoming more of a reality every day,” said County Executive Andy Spano, who noted the 15-acre park is one of the few strips of land on the water side of the railroad tracks. “This project is a perfect example of what can be accomplished by working together and now we have one more beautiful park along the shoreline.”

Croton rehabilitated the southern end of the park - clearing the property and getting federal and state funding to construct a handicapped-accessible trail and most recently, a ballfield, parking lot and restroom. The county took on the northern end, providing $1.75 million in Legacy and state funds to continue the trail another .5 miles north through the rest of the park. Over the past two years, the county also added fencing to separate the site from the CSX railroad tracks and the path was widened and realigned at the southern end.

The completed park includes landscaping, benches, bike racks, an “overlook” and interpretive signs telling about the habitat.

“We are delighted that such a stunningly beautiful park for enjoying the Hudson River emerged from a dozen years of work. Croton Landing is a testament to the value of collaboration with the County and many other partners and the importance of thinking big,” said Mayor Wiegman, who noted the northern end of the property hadn’t been easily accessible to the public before this project was completed.

Several other sections of the RiverWalk are under construction. Two segments of pathway, totaling 1.5 miles, are taking shape in Tarrytown. One section is behind Kraft Food and the Lyndhurst mansion, and another in the village’s Pierson Park. Both are expected to be complete in June 2010. Another piece that runs .5 miles from the Glenwood Station in Yonkers, through the JFK Marina and to the Old Croton Aquaduct Trailway, is in the design stages, as is another trail that will eventually take a scenic loop into the Mariandale Retreat and Conference Center and through Crawbuckie Preserve before ending up in downtown Ossining. Those pieces should be complete by spring 2011.

Next in line are pieces at Riverfront Park in Peekskill and at the Dobbs Ferry waterfront. Spano noted that each of the projects is very time-consuming and complex given the partnerships that need to be developed with various private property owners and municipalities.

When complete, the RiverWalk will be a chain of trails and walkways running the full length of the Hudson River in Westchester County. Because of the lack of access and/or difficulty of building on certain parcels directly on the river, numerous inland roads and sidewalks will be used to make the walk continuous. Kiosk signs will be installed along the route to make it easy to follow.

To see a map of the entire trail, go to www.westchestergov.com/riverwalk.

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For Commuters, One Week Down...Thirty More to Go

May 10, 2009

The major flood mitigation project at the Croton-Harmon Train Station commuter lot is underway and has concluded its first week of construction successfully. The construction affects the lowest lying section of the lot where some 650 cars would normally be parked. The work will raise the grade of the low lying sections prone to flooding as well as raise the Veterans Way access road to the lot. The work is scheduled to be completed by December 2009.

The contractor, Sisca Northeast Inc. of Brewster, New York, was awarded the contract on April 13, 2009, as the lowest, responsible bidder. Sisca began work on May 4, 2009 on the $2.6 million project. “As far as paying the for the work is concerned, we are going to make sure that every “i” is dotted and every “t” crossed before any funds are disbursed.” notes Village Manager Abraham Zambrano, “Our goal is a high quality project on time and on budget. We will be monitoring the work very carefully.”

“Of approximately 1,500 permit parking spaces, we have lost approximately about one third-500 spaces- during the construction. In the daily parking section, we have lost approximately 150 out of 400 spaces or 37.5%.” reports Assistant Village Manager Janine King. “Commuters will see newly striped temporary parking spots in alternate places. We had to be creative about placing as many parking spots as close to the station we could during the construction.”

The Village has arranged alternate parking at Croton Point Park, Van Cortlandt Manor, and along South Riverside Avenue and Croton Point Avenue, with bus service to and from the new outlying temporary lots. Commuters will find details on where to park at the Village’s Train Station Parking webpage: http://www.crotononhudson-ny.gov/PublicDocuments/CrotonHudsonNYParking/index.

Commuters are urged to sign up for email updates about the train station parking lot. Assistant Manager King adds, “If you would like to be placed in our Connect CTY system in order to receive timely updates about the construction project email your name and contact information to parking@crotononhudson-ny.gov.”

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River Dogs, Get Your Riverdogs!

May 8, 2009

On May 4, 2009, the Village Board of Trustees amended the village code to allow food vendors at Senasqua Park and at the new Croton Landing Park.

At no cost to the vendors, the Village will issue special permits for the 2009 summer season at Croton Landing Park. Up to three different food vendors will be chosen for Croton Landing to allow a variety of food options for visitors. The new half-mile long Croton Landing RiverWalk will be open every day from dawn to dusk and is drawing a growing number of visitors.

The Village will also issue a special permit to up to three food vendors at a cost of $350 for the 2009 summer concert season at Senasqua Park. The seven Senasqua Summer Concerts occur on Friday or Saturday evenings in June and July and typically draw several hundred picknickers.

Cooperation between interested parties in applying for a single vendor permit is encouraged. Vendors interested in applying for a permit should send an application letter to the Village Manager, Abraham Zambrano, 914- 271-4848, azambrano@crotononhudson-ny.gov. Said Zambrano, “The goal is to offer prepared food at these popular riverfront destinations for summer time visitors and to offer local dining establishment access to new customers.”

The application letter should include a draft menu (items and suggested retail prices) and any comments for the village to consider regarding the proposed regulations for park food vending (see attached). A sample application is attached.

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Village Board Meetings in Croton Go Paperless

May 4, 2009

Every Friday morning, the village staff in Croton-on-Hudson collates all the documents, correspondence, resolutions, announcements, memoranda, and draft legislation needed for the upcoming regular meetings or work sessions of the village’s Board of Trustees.

The preparation in quintuplicate of board packets with the complete agenda documents consumed two staff hours each Friday morning. The delivery by automobile of these packets to the homes of the board members on Friday afternoons by the village staff consumed further resources.

The volume of paper a village trustee receives each year can be staggering. For a televised board meeting, the typical board packet comprises 75 to 100 pages, or in excess of 2,000 pages a year. For a typical work session, the packets are smaller, but add up as well. With 30 or more meetings a year, each board member receives about 30 pounds (13.7 kilograms) of paper annually in the board packets. For the five member board, that means photocopying, collating, and transporting about 150 pounds (68 kilograms) of paper per year. “On top of considerable savings in paper and photocopying costs, the savings in staff time is significant,” added Village Clerk Paula DiSanto.

After adopting the budget for the next fiscal year on April 27, the Board of Trustees resolved to go paperless by May 4th, its next regularly scheduled meeting, at the instigation of Trustee Rick Olver. Said Olver, “Going electronic is not just about bringing the Board firmly into the computer age; it’s about our our commitment to lower costs for taxpayers and get rid of unnecessary make- work burdening Village staff.”

As of this week, the vast majority of the meeting content can and will be delivered electronically by the village staff to the board. While some documents and reports will remain in hardcopy form, the move to a paperless board packet will reduce the physical volume of paper needed to conduct board business by about 90% to about 3 pounds (1.4 kiograms) per trustee per year.

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Village Tax Rate to be Cut by 1.84% for 2009

April 29, 2009

The Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson unanimously adopted a budget for the fiscal year beginning June 1, 2009 in a special meeting on Monday, April 27, 2009.

This budget includes several ground-breaking actions. First, the total budgeted appropriations for the new fiscal year ($15.91 million) will be lower than those for the 2008-2009 current fiscal year ($16.19 million). Second, in light of the economic climate village revenue from non-property tax sources for the new fiscal year ($5.89 million) will be conservatively and prudently projected as just below the non-tax income for the 2008-2009 current fiscal year ($5.98 million). Third, even with the pressure to increase non-tax revenues, key non-tax fees such as commuter parking and water and sewer rates will remain frozen at the current levels. Fourth, by judicious but determined reductions in budgeted expenses for the new fiscal year, the tax rate in the Village of Croton-on-Hudson will be cut by 1.84% to $227.989 per $1000 of assessed valuation over the current year rate of $236.590 per $1000.

The Village Board comprises five Democrats, three of whom were elected last month. The Village staff played a significant role in working closely with the Board to achieve these unprecedented results for village property owners. Trustee and Deputy Mayor Ann Gallelli on the new budget: “I am pleased we could provide some small relief this year as next year’s budget looks even more challenging. Now is the time for us is to take a hard look at how economic conditions in the Village might be improved, and that is a challenge in which the Board is already engaged.”

Trustee Rick Olver on the new budget: “Our taxes are too high-they are unsustainable for homeowners. We’ve made the hard decisions, and have delivered a tax cut. Now we have to promote new business to increase our income. These are tough times and we need everyone’s support to cut costs and grow income.”

Trustee Ian Murtaugh on the new budget: “This unprecedented budget decrease was accomplished through the hard work and cooperation of the village administration, department heads and both the current village board and our predecessors who transitioned with us before we were officially seated. Hopefully this cooperative community spirit will be continued through our next steps which will be to encourage positive revenue increases through means other than additional taxes on homeowners.”

Trustee Demetra Restuccia on the new budget: “This tax cut would not have been possible without strong leadership from the board and the staff and the strong team playing from all departments. I am impressed with everyone’s willingness to tighten their belts and look out for the best interests of Croton.”

Village Manager Abraham Zambrano on the new budget: “The Village Board had to make some difficult decisions this year. They were able to achieve a tax decrease and maintain services; a task that is rarely attainable without service cut backs. This is something that in my years as a municipal official I have never seen.”

Village Treasurer Sandra Bullock on the new budget: “This budget tax cut is a fiscally responsible one. The word budget means, “an estimate, often itemized, of expected income and expense for a given period in the future; a plan of operations based on such an estimate.” The Village of Croton-on-Hudson’s 2009-20110 budget tax cut which utilized minimum fund balance is one which estimates that-if this economy continues to worsen-the Village will have “rainy day funds” available to possibly approve another village tax cut for upcoming budget years. The local government must do its part in hearing and reacting to the concerns of the village residents. I believe this upcoming year village tax cut will receive a warm welcome from the village tax payers.”

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No Local Cases of Swine Flu but Westchester County Officials Stress Prevention Measures

April 27, 2009

Westchester County Executive Andy Spano and Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Lipsman today took steps to reassure the public that they should not be alarmed about swine flu.

There have been no reported cases of swine flu to date in Westchester County. Spano said the county health department will continue to vigilantly track swine flu and take any needed measures to protect the public.

“I want to reassure residents that our Health Department is closely monitoring the situation and will take whatever actions are necessary to protect our residents,” Spano said. “Swine flu is no cause for alarm, but residents should take sensible precautions like washing their hands and should go to our website at www.westchestergov.com/health to get complete information. They can also call a special 24-hour state hotline, 1-800-808-1987.”

At a news conference today, Dr. Lipsman said swine flu is starting slow and is affecting people with a mild illness similar to the seasonal flu.

“It isn’t hitting hard and it isn’t hitting fast and that’s good news,” Dr. Lipsman said. “If you don’t become sick, there are no special precautions you should take and no medical consultation you should seek. You should practice good hygiene measures, such as washing your hands frequently and covering your nose and mouth when you cough.” “Currently, there have been no cases of swine flu reported in Westchester County,” he said. “In addition, the county has a computerized surveillance system in place to identify spikes in disease activity in the community, including flu. We will continue to monitor the information that we get from this system very closely as well as continue to communicate with local hospitals and physicians,” he said.

“Although there are no cases so far in Westchester, I can’t stress enough how important hand washing is in preventing the spread of illness,” Dr. Lipsman said. “Frequent hand washing with soap and warm water is the single, best thing that we can all do keep germs from spreading. In addition, if you have flu symptoms, it’s important that you stay home from school or work so as not to spread illness to others. If you do get severely ill, seek medical care, because there is treatment available but it works best if begun within two days.”

Influenza is a virus that is always circulating between birds and pigs and people. Each strain has different genes that make it more or less infectious. Public health professionals are closely monitoring this swine flu because it’s a new virus that people have no natural immunity to. While there is concern that this flu has the potential to become a pandemic, swine flu viruses have caused human infections in the past without turning into a pandemic. There is no swine flu vaccine.

To date, there have been 40 confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States, with 28 of these in New York City. Although the strain matches the one circulating in Mexico, all cases identified in the United States so far have been mild.

The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people infected with swine flu have also reported diarrhea and vomiting. Like seasonal flu, swine flu can vary in severity from mild to severe, and may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has determined that this swine flu virus is spreading from person to person and is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu - mainly through coughing or sneezing of infected people. To help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like flu:

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
If you get sick with influenza, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

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