Facts of Life

December 12, 2024 at 3:21 a.m.

“Manahatta/Manhattan: A Natural History of New York City” an image combining a computer simulation of Manhattan in 1609 with a photograph from 2009. Courtesy of the Wildlife Conservation Society

Pace University was recently awarded $476,000 from the Mellon Foundation to support a three-year interdisciplinary initiative “Islands, Archipelagos and Cultural Ecologies.” The project will advance environmental justice and the environmental humanities at Pace and will focus on developing an institutional identity for Pace’s lower Manhattan location as an island campus in NYC while connecting with other archipelagos in relationship with the U.S.A very happy birthday to Sean Powers of Port Chester on Dec. 18. All my love, Kristen.

Happy birthday to PCHS graduate Erica Dooley who celebrates Dec. 17.

Happy birthday to Zoya Abel of Kibbutz Kfar Charuv, Israel, who celebrates Dec. 17. She is the daughter-in-law of the late Mildred and Bernard Abel of Rye Brook and sister-in-law of Jananne and Richard Abel of Port Chester.

Free two-hour parking, sponsored by the Village of Port Chester and the Port Chester-Rye Brook-Rye Town Chamber of Commerce, is available in the downtown Port Chester business district and will continue thru Jan. 1. Free parking gives residents and visitors the opportunity to visit local businesses for holiday shopping and dining as they celebrate the season with family and friends.

If you’re looking for a unique holiday gift for a current or former Rye Town resident, the Port Chester Historical Society is selling 2025 calendars with historic photos of Port Chester on every page. These keepsake calendars are for sale at the front desk of the Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library for $20.

Playland Park in Rye is offering a special December sale on its 2025 season passes just in time for holiday shopping. Guests can purchase a season pass for just $99.99 thru Dec. 31, marked down from the original price of $150. With the all-access season pass, guests are granted unlimited visits to the park, beach, pool and lake, as well as free parking and other perks such as concerts, firework shows, celebrations and more. For additional information and to access the season pass online, go to www.playland.com.

Port Chester Recreation has announced that kids of all ages can write a Letter to Santa and drop it in his special mailbox located at the Port Chester Village Hall Main Entrance, 222 Grace Church St. Letters will be collected Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., thru Dec. 13. A mailbox will also be available at Port Chester's Christmas Event, Sat., Dec. 14. Be sure to include a name and a return address so Santa and his elves can return a letter! www.portchesterny.gov

The next Port Chester High School Marching Band bottle and can recycling collections will be Sun., Dec. 15, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in the Middle School parking lot on Bowman Avenue, Rye Brook. Collections generally take place on the first and third Sunday of each month. Call 914/200-1464 for updated information.

The next bulk trash pickup in Port Chester will be Wed., Dec. 18. There will be no further green waste pickups until spring.

The Rye Brook Senior Center, 32 Garibaldi Pl., Rye Brook will close at noon Wed., Dec. 18. 914/939-2904.

Port Chester Council for the Arts has announced their upcoming arts programming, Spring Arts at the Mansion for children in grades K-6, to be held at Crawford Park Community Center, 122 N. Ridge St., Rye Brook. Classes will run Jan. 13-Apr. 14 with a make-up class on Apr. 21. Class offerings are as follows: Mon.: World of Art, 1^st-3^rd grade, 4-5 p.m.; 4^th-6^th grade, 5-6 p.m., Tues.: Broadway Magic, K-3^rd grade, 4-5 p.m.; 4^th-6^th grade, 5-6 p.m.; Wed. Triple Threat—Sing, Act, Dance, 4^th-6^th grade, 4-5 p.m., 1^st-3^rd grade, 5-6 p.m.; FunSketch, 4^th-6^th grade, 4-5 p.m., 1^st-3^rd grade, 5-6 p.m. $450 per course; multi-course discount of 10% if registering for more than one class. Register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd55hsngsHDWDoOSWSE-2zzjS3suTBDaTaK_rj16tjJW0ta-w/viewform by Fri., Jan. 3. For more information, write to [email protected]

There is no overnight parking in the Village of Rye Brook thru Mar. 15, 2-6 a.m., unless posted otherwise.

The Village of Port Chester and the Port Chester Fire Department are partnering with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves in Toys for Tots. The public can drop off toys thru Dec. 13 at Port Chester Village Hall, 222 Grace Church St., Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Port Chester Senior Center, 220 Grace Church St., Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or at Port Chester Fire Department Headquarters, 209 Westchester Ave., Mon.

The Westchester County Department of Public Safety is accepting applications for seasonal park rangers to patrol County parks next summer. Applications are due by Feb. 23 and are available online at https://publicsafety.westchestergov.com. Park rangers assist users, provide information on park rules and procedures, help in searches for lost children, perform basic first aid on occasion and make regular security checks of buildings and facilities. First-time rangers are paid $17 per hour; salaries are higher for those who have worked as a ranger for the county before. Applicants must be a high school graduate, at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen and possess a valid New York State driver’s license by the time of appointment.

    The Courtyard of the Osborn in Rye.

The Osborn in Rye has once again been named as one of the nation’s “Best Continuing Care Retirement Communities” by Newsweek and is the only CCRC in Westchester County and one of just 10 communities in New York State to be awarded this honor.

The Village of Port Chester’s online portal to apply for and access real time updates on building permits and property information is now live. This portal offers 24/7 real-time permit applications, case status updates, and property information. To apply for a building permit, check permit status, view inspection reports and pay online, you need to "Register for an Account." You will receive an email instruction to activate your account at the end of registration. In the future, you will be able to file a complaint and view code violations, search for fire inspection records, file a planning application and register for an alarm permit. This portal replaces the previous land use application “Municity.” Go to www.portchesterny.gov

The Port Chester Democratic Committee is looking for candidates for the upcoming March 2025 Village Election. They are looking for candidates for Mayor and Trustee. In March 2025 the Mayor and ALL six Trustee seats are up for election.

Also, in November 2025, the Town of Rye will be having an election. Petitions for these offices must be completed by early 2025. The offices up for election for the Town in 2025 are: two Council seats, Receiver of Taxes and judicial candidates.

For information or anyone interested in running for the above seats, please contact Raymond Sculky, Chair, at [email protected] or 914/469-8889 or Hattie Adams, Vice Chair, at [email protected] or 914/426-0782.

The Town of Rye/Port Chester Republican Committee is looking for party/campaign support. Tasks can be done both in person and virtually and on a part-time/as needed basis.

In March 2025 there will be LOCAL elections, and the Committee is interviewing for the following:

Mayoral seat (1)

Trustee seat (6)

The process for those elections occurs in late 2024 and early 2025.

For further information about running for an elected position, please call: Aldo Vitagliano, GOP Village Chairman, at 914/921-0333.

Clay Art Center, 40 Beech St., Port Chester, has announced that registration is open for their Winter Session classes for adults in wheel throwing, handbuilding and sculpture. The Winter Session will run from Fri., Jan.10-Tues., Mar. 3. For information and to register, go to www.clayartcenter.org

Clay Art Center, 40 Beech St., Port Chester, invites residents to be part of their impact by making a contribution to support their exhibitions and programs. To donate, go to www.clayartcenter.org

Fall leaf collection in Rye Brook will continue through the third week of December. It is the Village’s goal to provide leaf collection service with a maximum of three weeks between collections at peak periods (weather depending). Highway department employees travel each street of the Village and collect leaves placed curbside. For equipment to be efficient, leaf piles need to be placed in a row along the curb line, not in the roadway. Please advise your gardeners not to create mounds of leaves at the curb, over storm drains or in the roadway, but to create long rows.

The Village of Rye Brook has partnered with Westchester County to offer residents a free cell phone app called RecycleCoach where you can look up your Rye Brook sanitation schedule, view holiday week changes, and receive answers to commonly asked questions such as if a particular item is recyclable. It is a very useful tool, is relatively user-friendly and can be downloaded from the App Store.

Qualified homeowners in Westchester County may be reimbursed for repairs for damage their homes sustained during Hurricane Ida in 2021. The New York State's Department of Homes and Community Renewal has unveiled a new reimbursement and repair program that is now accepting applications through Jan. 17. For information go to https://hcr.ny.giv/general-Ida-programs.