Supervisor's E-Newsletter
September 2021

Hurricane Ida Impact

The worst rain storm in memory hit the Town and Villages on September 1, 2021. The remnants of Hurricane Ida dropped an estimated 8.5 inches of rain in less than 12 hours. Many residents had terrible flooding and destruction to their homes and businesses. Hundreds of residents lost cars, everything they had in their basements and some lost items on their first floors. The Fire and Police Departments as well as the Ambulance District worked through the night responding to calls for help. To give you an idea of the force of the rain and flooding, a family living on the brook in the Larchmont Gardens area couldn’t find their car the morning after the storm. It was found four days later in the duck pond after the water had subsided. That means the force of the rain swept the car from their driveway, under or around bridges and down the falls into the duck pond.

The Town infrastructure sustained extensive damage to roads, curbs, sidewalks, catch basins, bridges and culverts. There is road shoulder washout, curb and pavement damage, exposed sewer pipes, underground settlement, and displaced catch basin castings on several roads in the Town as well as culvert and bridge damage. At this time, the repairs are estimated at $1 million. The Larchmont Reservoir overflowed into the dam spillway and came very close to overflowing the dam itself.

The cleanup from the storm was monumental. The Sanitation Commission staff worked 13 days in a row. There was a 119% increase in solid waste material collected and delivered to Westchester County for the 17 days following the Hurricane compared to the same time period in 2020. That is close to two months of normal waste collection in just 17 days. This doesn’t include the weight of the materials collected by the Town and Village Highway Departments that was delivered to Suburban Carting in the Village of Mamaroneck.

The Town Highway Department staff worked 13 days in a row, four of those in the Village of Mamaroneck, to pick up debris and flood-soaked household items. Overall, it was a herculean effort to collect all of this material in just 17 days.

Sadly, many residents and businesses in the Village of Mamaroneck fared much worse. The Mamaroneck and Sheldrake Rivers that drain large areas of upper Westchester County converge in the Village of Mamaroneck, and during rain events of this magnitude, cause severe flooding. Three hundred and fifty people were affected and 91 families required housing assistance. The Red Cross set up a shelter at Mamaroneck High School and Westchester County Department of Social Services worked to shelter those families in a hotel in White Plains. Port Chester, Rye City, New Rochelle, and Harrison also sustained severe flooding.

Community Resource Center -- a critically important asset

The good news is that our community came together and stepped up to help our neighbors. People volunteered to clean out houses, donate goods, and financially support those in need. We are lucky to have a social service network that is part of the fabric of our community: the Community Resource Center located in the Village of Mamaroneck. The Community Resource Center quickly became the go-to entity to reach the folks in need. The CRC contacts and relationships with the community make them a critical part of the emergency response and rescue infrastructure for the community. We are also lucky to have the new Coalition for Community organization. The Coalition for Community is a Larchmont-Mamaroneck based coalition of hyper local nonprofits, social service agencies and houses of worship working together to develop solutions to community needs brought on by the pandemic and other crises. The need for volunteers and donations is ongoing.

September 11th

Amazingly, other events and business continued. We held the annual September 11th Commemoration and I want to thank Deputy Supervisor Jaine Elkind Eney for leading that event. Thank you to TMFD, the Police Department, Larchmont Mamaroneck VAC, our Veterans, local Clergy and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts for once again, being an important part of this memorial. Over 100 community members attended this 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country.

Federal, state, county and local elected officials

Deputy Town Supervisor Jaine Elkind Eney

Hommocks Ice Rink Ribbon Cutting

There are new locker rooms and showers at the Hommocks Ice Rink. We held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the improvements on September 19^th. I want to thank all of the volunteers and staff that worked on this project and especially Deputy Supervisor Jaine Elkind Eney for spearheading of the project.

Superintendent of Recreation Jill Fisher with Assistant Superintendent Vicky Laoutaris and Recreation Assistant Michelle Ballantyne (R to L) in one of the new locker rooms

Green Zone

Last week, the Village of Larchmont held a ribbon cutting in Kane Park to recognize Larchmont as the first municipal ‘Green-Zone’ in Westchester County. Congratulations to the Village for being a model of green landscaping and quiet communities by eliminating the use of leaf blowers and pesticides and herbicides. On a related note, the Town of Mamaroneck is proud to spearhead the tri-municipal Healthy Yards program that asks residents to sign a pledge to avoid using pesticides and herbicides in their gardens. I hope we will designate a "Green-Zone" in the unincoporated portion of the Town in the near future.

Community Services Fair

The Larchmont Mamaroneck Lions hosted a Community Services Fair this past Saturday outside of the Hommocks Ice Rink. I enjoyed talking with volunteers and staff from all the local service organizations such as the Washingtonville Housing Alliance, the Community Resource Center, STEM Alliance and of course, all three municipalities' environmental committees.

Lions Club President Phil Oldham and Diane Oldham

Larchmont Mamaroneck Lions Club President Phil Oldham and Secretary Diane Oldham with Mamaroneck Village Mayor Tom Murphy and Supervisor Nancy Seligson

First Responders Resident Alert Registry

The Town of Mamaroneck Police Department, along with the Villages of Mamaroneck and Larchmont Police Departments are now offering a “First Responders Resident Alert Registry.” The purpose of this registry is to compile and maintain a list for emergency responders of residents who have special needs. The registry will provide information pertaining to special circumstances to be considered when first responders, such as Police, Fire or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel respond to residents in an emergency. For further details or to fill out the registry form, please see the Town website's homepage: www.townofmamaroneckny.org

Upcoming Events

Annual Fall Cleanup, Food Truck Festival and Repair Cafe

Please note location and time change for the Annual Fall Cleanup.

First-Ever Town Repair Cafe

Have you seen the signage around Town or the posts on social media about the upcoming Town of Mamaroneck Repair Cafe? Many volunteers have signed up to help their fellow residents repair items such as toys, crockery, costume jewelry, small appliances, toasters, etc. The Repair Cafe concept started out as an environmental initiative to keep items that can be fixed out of the waste stream but these events became something more. They are an opportunity for neighbors to "connect" by sharing skills and techniques to help people repair and continue to use items that might otherwise be discarded. We are still looking for more volunteers.

Our Town Needs You!

Please consider volunteering for the Town. The Town is looking for qualified residents to sit on the following committees or commissions.

Coastal Zone Management Commission (CZMC)
Housing Authority

All adult Town residents of the unincorporated area are eligible to serve on the Coastal Zone Management Commission who have demonstrated knowledge and ability in the areas of conservation, preservation, living marine resources and wildlife, ecological systems or effects of development. The Village of Larchmont is also looking for volunteers.

For the Housing Committee, adult residents of the Town (including the Villages of Larchmont and Mamaroneck) are eligible. Financial experience requested.

Please contact Supervisor Nancy Seligson by email at supervisor@townofmamaroneckny.org with a letter of interest and a resume.

Upcoming Town Board Meetings

All Town Board work sessions and regular business sessions are now being held in person and the public is welcome to attend the meetings. As always, you may also watch Town Board meetings on LMC Media (channel 76 for Optimum customers or channel 35 for Verizon customers) or watch online. The following times are subject to change. Please check the Town website.

Wednesday, October 6, 2021, the work session begins at 5:00 pm, the regular session begins at 8:00 pm.
Wednesday, October 20, 2021, the work session begins at 5:00 pm, the regular session begins at 8:00 pm.

The Town of Mamaroneck is committed to fostering welcoming communities and an equitable, diverse and inclusive society.

Supervisor's E-NewsletterSeptember 2021