Recently, the town board has been in discussions with Harrison EMS regarding the management of the town’s emergency service provider. The health and safety of our residents is of paramount concern and has been carefully considered throughout the discussion process. The town board is working to resolve any obstacles to an agreement and is confident that, with the proper administration and supervision, Harrison EMS will continue to provide emergency services to our residents.
It’s not too late to sign up for the April 10 Harrison Spring Spruce Up Day. If you are available, and have an interest in pitching in to make Harrison look its best, contact my office at 670-3009 and lend a hand in clearing our roadways, streams and wooded areas of debris. Everyone is welcome.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling to Boston to watch members of the Harrison High School band perform in this year’s Boston Heritage Festival. Five Harrison groups competed and were awarded several honors. The Concert Band took home the top prize and was invited to next year’s Festival of Gold. The Symphonic Band, the Sirius Jazz Workshop, Percussion and Majorettes all earned Silver Awards. Jon Crozier was awarded the Maestro Award for a jazz solo performance. Congratulations to all the performers on these very impressive achievements.
This year’s inaugural food crawl, sponsored by The Journal News, was a great success. Several restaurants in our downtown business district provided ticket holders with generous samplings of featured dishes from their menus. This food tour of Harrison was a fun, food-focused way to learn about the cross section of unique offerings we have in our culinary community. I look forward to participating again and encourage all residents to take part.
In an effort to prevent and reduce youth marijuana use and its impact on the teen brain, coalitions across Westchester County will be asking their municipalities to issue a proclamation outlining the importance of encouraging young people to make healthy and safe decisions and to abstain from using marijuana. Harrison Youth Council is part of this venture and I have issued a proclamation declaring April 20 Healthy Teen Brain Day in the town/village of Harrison. Research has clearly documented the potential negative consequences of youth marijuana use and I hope the attention our local leaders give to this issue will remind our community about the potential risks. It’s important to send a strong message that we support the health of developing brains. The Westchester Coalition for Drug and Alcohol Free Youth is planning to host a news conference at 4:20 p.m. on April 20 to share the proclamations and further broadcast our message of prevention.
In closing, National Library Week will be observed from April 10 through April 16 with the theme “Libraries Transform.” I encourage all residents to join the celebration by visiting your local public library. Libraries across the country are planning special events and Harrison’s libraries are offering new programs and recommendations in honor of this important occasion.
The next “Lunch with the Mayor” is on Friday, April 8 and I will be at Halstead Avenue Taqueria, located at 261 Halstead Ave. in Downtown Harrison. I will be at this location from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and look forward to meeting with residents and talking about issues facing our community.
