Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the Westchester County Association’s annual breakfast, where County Executive Rob Astorino delivered his State of the County address. In discussing his vision for 2017, he highlighted several economic developments for the year ahead. A range of public and private projects include expenditures for Kensico Dam Plaza, Westchester County Airport, and a $300 million investment for improving county parks, roadways, bridges, buildings and technology. Astorino also included that the county will benefit from the expansion of regional supermarket Wegmans, which is slated to be developed in Harrison in the near future. It was a highly informative event, giving local officials an opportunity to hear about what’s in store for the upcoming year.
It was an honor to be at the recent installation of new officers for the Harrison Fire Department. Congratulations to the following newly elected department representatives: Chief John Masciola Jr.; first assistant Chief Nick Bareto; second assistant Chief Vincent Straface; Capt. John Masciola Sr.; first Lt. Justin Renda; President Vito Faja Jr.; Secretary Ralph Straface; Treasurer John Szolnoki; Financial Secretary Jerry Terranova; and Board of Wardens Joe Hinchey, Henry Mohr, Mark Scocchera, Dave Cox and Matt Russo.
Congratulations to the Harrison Central School District’s Elementary Enrichment Committee for their recent fundraiser. It was wonderful to see the entire community turn out as the district’s faculty/staff played basketball against the Harlem Wizards. It was a sold-out event and all proceeds will benefit enrichment programs for the entire district.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Highway Department for doing a wonderful job clearing our streets of leaf piles and brush. The highway crews have cleared the majority of our municipal roadways in record time, and I would like to commend them for their hard work. They are currently in the final phase and our roads should be completely cleared before long.
Now that winter is upon us, I would like to remind residents that as snowstorms approach, please remember to put cars into driveways to help with street plowing efforts. Although we have not issued a snow emergency yet, 6 inches or more will allow for a snow emergency to be issued. Any snow emergency status will be listed on our town website, harrison-ny.gov, where you can also sign up for e-alerts. In addition, please be mindful that when clearing driveways and walkways, shovelers must refrain from depositing snow into the streets.
In closing, please make note of the following public health reminder: In an effort to be courteous, dog walkers should carry disposable waste bags and clean up after their pets. Used dog waste bags should not be left in neighbors’ trash cans or recycling bins, and should not be thrown into the storm drains on our streets and roadways. Proper disposal of dog waste is a must, and every dog owner should participate.
The next Lunch with the Mayor is on Friday, Jan. 27. I will be at 273 Kitchen, located at 273 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.
