Ossining Chamber of Commerce Holds Press Conference for Opposed Roundabout

The Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce will hold a press conference Friday, February 17 at 12 p.m. to speak about the proposed Roundabout project. The following is a letter to the editor by the Chamber of Commerce and locations where petition signing is available.

The Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce and Local Ossining Businesses urge your support for a public referendum opposing the Roundabout project at the Historic Five Corners-Main & Spring Streets and $500,000 taxpayer-funded bond passed by the Ossining Village Board on February 1, 2017. Please sign the referendum petition and help stop this project-2500 signatures are needed. This referendum will bring the proposed $500,000 taxpayer-funded bond to a vote by the registered voters of Ossining Village. There are other ways to update this aging intersection while maintaining its historic integrity, enriching local business, encouraging foot traffic, and reducing vehicle traffic. Let the people decide!

February 16, 2017

Re: Opposition to the Proposed Roundabout in the Village of Ossining

The Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business in the Greater Ossining area. Part of our mission is to interface with local government on matters of concern to the membership. Our membership includes local businesses, merchants, retailers, restaurateurs, professionals and first-time business owners, many of whom are also residents in the Greater Ossining area. Collectively, we are a community; and as such we have expressed and continue to express our opposition to the traffic roundabout intended for the heart of the Village of Ossining’s Downtown business district at the Historic Five Corners sitting at the intersection of Main and Spring Streets. This project is being proposed and hastily pursued by the current Village of Ossining Board of Trustees, with construction to begin as early as May 2017, and with Market Square to be used and occupied as a staging area.

The Ossining community, including the Chamber, has, at public sessions before the Village Board overwhelmingly opposed it. Yet, in the face of, and in fact in spite of, such uniform opposition, the bond for the Roundabout was passed with a vote of 4-1 by the Village Board on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The Village will pursue the project and secure a public bond of $500,000 to implement a traffic Roundabout that is decidedly unwanted and arguably unnecessary. We urge those who are opposed to the project and/or the bond itself to sign petitions seeking a public referendum to defeat such a bond. This referendum will bring the proposed $500,000 taxpayer-funded bond to a vote by the registered voters of Ossining Village. Please sign the referendum petition and help us stop this current project-2500 signatures are needed. Petitioners will be out and about for the next few weeks seeking signatures. Petitions are also available for signing at the locations listed below.

This proposed roundabout is at odds with Ossining's development and economic goals, untimely, and has not been subject to mandatory studies. The Village Comprehensive Plan, in its own words, was intended to be a blueprint for future physical and economic development in the Village and intended to increase visitors to the Downtown area, promote Ossining as a desirable place to do business, and create a unique dining and shopping destination to attract residents and visitors.

If you have questions or would like to get involved or become a petition carrier, please contact the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce at 914.941.0009 or john@ossiningchamber.org.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Gayle Marchica, President

The Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce

Petition signing is available at the following locations and petition carriers will be out at supermarkets, neighborhoods, and public venues.

· Bob’s Army & Navy, 159 Main Street, Ossining, NY

· Kaja Gam Design, 127 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Ossining, NY 10562

· The Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce, 2 Church Street, Ossining, NY 10562, 914.941.0009 (Weekdays 10:30am-2:30pm)

· Squires Restaurant, 94 N State Rd, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510

· Vaza Salon, 137 Main St, Ossining, NY 10562, 914. 800.9137 Dates/times: Feb. 16th 6PM - 9PM, Feb. 18th 11AM-2PM, Feb. 23rd 6PM - 9PM

· Adega Wine Store, 127 Main St, Ossining, NY 10562, Feb. 17 6PM-9PM, Feb. 24th 6PM-9PM