Town Update- February 2024: February 2024 – An update from The Pelham Town Council EMS It’s a new year and a new era in Pelham. The Pelham Town Ambulance has been up and running since January 1st with a smooth transition from Empress to Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corps. We are immensely grateful for our partnership with EVAC and all of the community members who worked so diligently to help us secure the contract and obtain a new ambulance. The average response times have been down compared to last year, with the average response time since January of approximately 4 minutes. We are currently looking for a location to house the ambulance together with the EMS flycar. At the January Town Council meeting Dr. Michael Lahn, MD, a longtime Pelham Manor resident  was sworn in as the Town of Pelham EMS Medical Director. This is a new position created this year as part of the town’s new EMS service with Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corp. Residents can follow town Ambulance updates on instagram @townofpelhamems Here are the January Stats for the town ambulance   Pedestrian Safety In addition to the emergency services the town oversees, we are pursuing a solution to the pedestrian safety issues near the Glover Field complex currently staffed by Town of Pelham constables after school.  The complex encompass multiple municipalities near the exit and entrance ramps to the Hutchinson River Parkway, the entrance to Glover field and the crosswalk over Sandford Boulevard to Memorial Field, with the main entrance in neighboring Mount Vernon. Supervisor McLaughlin and Councilwoman Burke met with the school district administration in December to review the safety issues and sent a letter to County Executive Latimer and our partners in government on the local and state levels. There is a meeting scheduled with Assemblywoman Paulin this month, and County Executive Latimer is organizing a workshop with the relevant municipal leaders led by the New York Metropolitan Council (NYMTC) with the goal of addressing existing issues and what opportunities exist through various programs and funding sources. We will keep the community updated. Recreation The seniors had a busy January.  In addition to our normal senior meetings and events there were a few special events: the Pelham Civics hosted a luncheon, the seniors enjoyed Pizza Day, an Arts and Crafts Day, and had a Wednesday afternoon Bingo game including prizes generously donated by many Pelham residents including Catherine Campbell, Chris & Laura Caruso, Samantha Scinta, DeCicco & Sons, Holly Mellstrom and David & Amy Sparano. The senior van was used by Pelham seniors making thirty-three round trips to medical appointments. For more information on senior programs please call the Pelham Senior Advocate Carolyn Veith at 914-738-5004. There is still availability in the Pelham Recreation February Break Camps which run from Tuesday, Feb 20th until Friday Feb 23rd.  There are a variety of camps: All Sports, Art, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer and Volleyball and a Cartoon Creations Camp – residents can register for the week or for a day. Spring break camp registration will open on February 26th and Summer Camp registration will also open on February 26th (upon approval of school availability.) Please visit the Pelham recreation website for more information or call (914) 738-0153. The Library In celebration of Black History Month, the library has put together a list of books, music, movies, and other resources about Black History that you can find at the library, or in their digital collections. (Click here to see this year’s list.) Did you know that you can check out more than just books at the Library? The Library of Things is continuously growing and includes bocci sets, birding backpacks, museum passes and more. the latest addition suggested by a patron: A Measuring Wheel. These are great for gardening, lawn projects, calculating distance of fire pits to meet fire code, and so much more.   There are many more activities scheduled- for more information please go to the library website– there are book clubs, crafts, sewing classes and a stuffed animal sleepover happening at the end of the month. You can also call the library at (914) 738-1234. Town Courts Information regarding court hours of operation and contact information for court clerks can be found on the Town Court webpage: https://townofpelham.com/courts/ Town Historian The Pelham Town Historian Arthur Scinta reports that while workers for Con Ed were digging a deep trench on Cliff Avenue for a new gas line, he asked the workers if they found anything interesting.  The next day they turned up a bunch of railroad spikes.  They must date to the time that the railroad was put through when perhaps the area that is now Cliff Avenue was used as a staging area for supplies. For more historical information and updates please visit this website. From State Senate District 34 Senator Nathalia Fernandez’s office is hosting two Flood Preparedness Workshops in the district to provide the best tools available, including Disaster kits, flood barriers, pumps, and many more resources will be provided. The first workshop will be on February 15th at the Edgewater Park Volunteer Fire House (1 Adee Dr, Bronx, NY), beginning at 6:00pm. To attend please RSVP here The second workshop will be on February 22nd at the City Island Community Center (190 Fordham Street Bronx NY), beginning at 6:00pm. To attend please RSVP here

Town of Pelham

Town Board Update

 

 

 

Town of Pelham Board Update

November 2022

 

Dear Pelham Friends and Neighbors:

What a busy Fall it has been in the Town of Pelham! Our Recreation Department programs have been in full swing, with Recreation Soccer’s Pelham Cup taking place two weeks ago on a beautiful autumn day; our adult pickleball program has been standing room only; and our Halloween Parade on Halloween-eve was a smashing (pumpkin) success! The Pelham Town Library continues to provide its tremendous programming: from outdoor story time, to adult cardio dance classes—there is something for community members of all ages!

 

This past Saturday, we honored Pelham’s veterans at Veterans Park with the American Legion. We are grateful for Joe Durnin for leading the services in honor of all those who proudly serve(d) our country.   

 

On October 18, 2022, the Recreation Department bestowed the John Marshall Award to Nick Senerchia. The Marshall Award is presented to an individual who has made a special contribution to Pelham Recreation or Recreation-sponsored programs. The Award was established in honor of Dr. John Marshall, a noted resident of Pelham who was well known for his love of Pelham and sports as a spectator, participant and coach. 

 

The Town has engaged in an Request for Proposal (RFP) for its Emergency Medical Services.  This is the result of a Town-wide committee that has been meeting regularly to discuss the need for improvements with response times for our Fly-Car and back-up ambulatory services.  The Town is grateful for the collaboration with Village of Pelham and Pelham Manor police, fire and other officials in seeking improvements to our services. At our last Board meeting on November 7, 2022, the RFP and a Certificate of Need application were both approved. The RFP will be posted shortly. 

 

On Saturday November 26th, the Town of Pelham is partnering with the Chamber of Commerce for its Second Annual Winter Wonderland Celebration to take place at the Gazebo and other locations along Fifth Avenue and Wolf’s Lane.  In addition, the Town will be hosting its Tree Lighting Ceremony that evening.  Details on these events can be found on the Town of Pelham website.

 

On Monday December 19th, the Town will be hosting the annual Menorah Lighting with the local Chabad. More details on this event will be posted shortly.

 

And finally, budget season is upon us.  The Town of Pelham’s preliminary budget is available at the Town Clerk’s Office. A public meeting on the budget will take place on December 5, 2022 in Town Hall, and will be voted on at that meeting, or if necessary, at a meeting to take place on December 19, 2022.  The Town of Pelham is proud to announce that it is financially very sound, coming in under budget last year and only minimally increasing its budget from last year. We invite anyone in the community to come to our December 5th public hearing if they have any questions.

 

Other Town Updates

 

Recreation

Winter Youth and Adult Programs

Please check out the Pelham Recreation website for our amazing winter youth and adult programs:

 

Ballroom Dance, Basketball Clinic/Hoop it up, Basketball League (for elementary schools), Chess, Cougar Boot Camp, Dance, Flag Football, Karate, Tennis, Pickleball, Running Club, Soccer with Malcolm, Theatre Arts, Tiny Feet, Tiny Tiger, Volleyball/Ladies Volleyball

 

Senior Citizens Activities

The Senior Citizens Club has been very active. In addition to weekly meetings (set forth below), they recently took a trip via bus to a local Casino. Club membership is free, and there are many activities, meetings, card games, bingo, and special events. With coffee and tea being served.  The Club’s schedule is as follows: 

  • Senior Citizen Club Meeting(Main Room), Monday / 1:00PM – 4:00 PM
  • Senior Exercise(Main Room), Tuesdays and Thursdays / 10:00AM – 11:00 AM
  • Senior Cards(Main Room), Wednesdays and Fridays / 1:00PM – 4:00 PM
  • Yoga (Main Room), Friday: 10:00AM – 11:00AM  

This class consists of various forms of yoga exercises designed for Seniors.

 

Library

The Town Board is proud to announce that Catherine Campbell was elected to serve as President of the Town of Pelham Public Library Board of Trustees for the next two years. Catherine has been an active member of the Board since 2014. She replaces Terrence Mullan who joined the Board in 2015 and served as President from 2017-2022. Terrence will remain on the Board as a trustee until December 2022.  The Board is extremely grateful for Terry’s years of service and dedication to the Pelham Library, and is looking forward to working with Catherine over the next two years.

 

Check out the Town of Pelham Public Library’s website and calendar for some of the amazing upcoming programs and events, including story time, author talks, JLP Story Time & Crafts, So Let’s Sew, Cardio Dance Class, and more!

 

Courts

The Town court is fully operational, hearing both criminal and vehicle and traffic cases in-person. Please see the Town website for court dates and times, and for any future updates.

 

Clerk’s Office

Some of the services available at the Clerk’s Office include disabled parking permits, available for Village of Pelham residents and dog licenses, available for Village of Pelham residents. Further information can be found on the Clerk’s website. Village of Pelham Manor residents must go to Village of Pelham Manor (Village Clerk at 4 Penfield Place) to acquire a Disabled permit and Dog license.

Pelham Empress Fly Car

For the month of October 2022, the average response time for the units backing up the fly car was 8:39.  

Calls in the Village of Pelham: 53

Calls in Pelham Manor: 25

Mutual Aid: 1

Calls on the Hutchinson River Pkwy: 6

Calls on: I-95 1

 

As noted above, the Town is submitting an RFP to determine whether other options are available for our emergency Fly Car and for back-up ambulatory services.

 

Pelham Sustainability Efforts

The Town of Pelham is once again sponsoring the Clean Heating and Cooling Campaign, organized by Sustainable Westchester. Details on upcoming campaign are forthcoming. Please check out our website for any updates relating to the Campaign, and the Sustainable Westchester website for details on other Energy Smart homes: https://sustainablewestchester.org/pelham/

Pelham Town Historian

Town Historian Art Scinta continues his hard work of bringing Pelham’s rich history to life. Please visit the Town of Pelham Historian webpage, as well as the Town Historian Facebook page.

 

Next Town Board Meeting

 

The next Town Board meeting will take place on Monday December 5, 2022 at 7pm at Town Hall, where we will be holding a public hearing on the 2023 Preliminary Budget.  Please see our Town website for all updates.  

 

We hope you have a wonderful, healthy and happy Thanksgiving Holiday, and enjoy the upcoming holiday events!

 

Sincerely,

 

Dan McLaughlin, Supervisor

Rae Szymanski, Deputy Supervisor

Kristen Burke, Councilwoman

Maura Curtin, Councilwoman

Kara McLoughlin, Councilwoman