Avalon Project Starts; No Grass Clippings: Mayor's Column

From Mayor Ron Belmont

I’m happy to report that the much anticipated Avalon Bay/MTA/Town of Harrison project has begun. The mixed use, transit oriented development will be located on Halstead Avenue and will include 143 apartments, 27,000 square feet of commercial space and over 700 parking spaces. This exciting addition to our commercial business district will benefit the Town/Village of Harrison by creating a vibrant streetscape with space for small shops, restaurants, and community focused facilities.

It’s not too early to save the date for this year’s “A Taste of Harrison”. On Sunday, May 19th, from 12:00 Noon to 3:00 PM, The Friends of the Harrison Public Library will be sponsoring this event to benefit the Library. At your own pace, visit restaurants, in any order, and enjoy a delicious sample of the chef’s specialties. Many of the downtown Harrison restaurants are participating. Participants are asked to purchase a special wristband: Adults-$25 ($30 on day of event), Children under age 12-$10 ($15 on day of event) and Family Pack-$60 ($65 on day of event). To purchase wristbands visit the Library or order online at www.2019toh.com.

A complimentary shuttle bus will be available.

To help residents keep their backyards free of mosquito breeding sites, Westchester County Department of Health will give away free minnows, for residential ponds and water features, along with mosquito dunks, advice and strategies to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile Virus. Availability at the Westchester County Airport, 2 Loop Road, West Harrison, 10604, is as follows: Friday, May 17, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, May 18, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents with ornamental ponds can add fathead minnows to the water. The minnows eat mosquito larvae, preventing them from maturing into biters. Dunks serve the same purpose in birdbaths, rain barrels and unused pools. Residents who plan to pick up minnows should bring a bucket or pail; minnows will be distributed in watertight plastic bags. To keep the minnows viable, residents should plan to bring them straight home and release them immediately into ponds with at least eight inches of water.

Please make note of the following reminder from our Commissioner of Public Works regarding organic yard waste. Under a directive from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Harrison is no longer permitted to accept and process grass clippings. Town personnel will no longer collect grass clippings, either in piles or bags, placed curbside. It is suggested that mowing equipment be retrofitted, adding blades that will efficiently mulch the grass as it is mowed, leaving the mulch to naturally fertilize the lawn.

The next “Lunch with the Mayor” is on Friday, May 10th and I will be at Great Wall located at 25 Taylor Square in West Harrison. On Friday, May 17th I will be at Goldberg’s Rock’n Bagel Cafe located at 379 Halstead Avenue in downtown Harrison. I will be at these locations from 12:30 to 1:30 and look forward to meeting with residents to talk about issues facing our community.