Communication
The recent “water supply issues” once again showed us the importance of communication, as well as the danger of poor communication. I have heard from residents that were contacted via reverse-911 telephone by the Westchester County Department of Health and warned erroneously that they were required to boil their drinking water. The Irvington Water Department, under the direction of Water and Sewer Superintendent James Englishby, had already completely filled our tanks in anticipation of the Catskill Aqueduct shut down. So, Irvington’s water supply never had any safety issues that required boiling. It is unfortunate that the County Department of Health never contacted anyone in Village government before they decided to start calling residents. We could have corrected their mis-information and saved residences from worrying and confusion. Village Administrator Larry Schopfer has expressed our displeasure to the Department of Heath and we hope to avoid similar miscommunication in the future.
Although our backup source of water is from the Delaware Aqueduct, we urged our residents to conserve water so we did not need to resort to our backup supply. We feared that other water departments might put excessive demand on the Delaware Aqueduct, thereby potentially overwhelming the system. Thanks to the conservation efforts of our residents (and the wet weather), our tank levels never dropped to a level to cause us to draw from our backup supply. As of now, there are no water restrictions and we are back to business as usual in the water department. That “business as usual” includes routine hydrant flushing which will start on tonight and run through September 30th. The Water Department will be posting signs in affected neighborhoods but you can also review the schedule at the Village website: www.irvingtonny.gov.
9/11 Remembrance
During my preparation for the 9/11 Memorial service that was held last Sunday, I had the opportunity to talk with many residents about their personal experiences on that fateful day. I found these personal memories cathartic and at the end of Sunday’s ceremony I asked residents to share their stories, memories, thoughts or poems by e-mailing them to bsmith@irvingtonny.gov. I will have these posted on the Village website for others to experience.
Special Events
Due to budget cuts in the Recreation and Parks Department, many special events have been removed from the Village calendar. Most of you are aware the fireworks on Independence Day were a casualty of the reduced budget, but popular fall events like the Halloween Parade, Haunted Hay Ride and the Peter Oley Turkey Trot are also currently on hold. While we are hopeful that we have found sponsors for the Halloween Parade and the Turkey Trot, if anyone is interested in a sponsorship, please contact Irvington Recreation and Parks Superintendent Joe Archino (at jarchino@irvingtonny.gov) or me directly. The Recreation Department has formed the Fund Raising and Community Events (or FACE) Committee to develop a long term plan to bring back the special events that make Irvington a wonderful place to live. The FACE Committee is an exceptional group of high-energy residents that I am sure will be very successful, with your support. It is my understanding that they may have already identified a sponsor for next year’s Independence Day fireworks display.
Recreation Department Registration
As I mentioned in a previous e-mail, the Recreation Department is no longer mailing a hard copy of their program brochure. The brochure is available on the village website and it is important to check it out as the registration period for fall programming is now open. There are still slots available for cooking classes, children (and adult) dance classes, cheerleading and flag football. There are also adult exercise classes, tennis instruction and yoga available but filling quickly. Lastly, there are two sessions of the ever popular “Music with Marc” (on either Monday or Thursday) that still have space available. Visit www.irvingtonny.gov/recreation for complete details.
Have a safe and enjoyable week.
Brian Smith, Mayor
bsmith@irvingtonny.gov
(646) 265-3950 (Cell)