This past weekend, we saw Santa in a holiday parade in our neighborhoods, had our first community bonfire, drank hot chocolate, and enjoyed time together. And yesterday we held our last town board meeting of 2021. As we close out the new year, I again want to say goodbye to Councilmembers Levin (for her two years of Board service) and Morton (for her one year of Board service). We thank them for their dedication and contributions to our town! And we owe a debt of gratitude to all who helped to keep New Castle running this past year. As the pandemic continued, it certainly wasn’t easy! We appreciate you!
We’ve had highs and lows individually and as a community, but through it all, we looked out for one another. As we look forward to 2022, I’m so excited about the work we can do together, and I can’t wait to get started! From my family to yours, wishing you all happy holidays and a new year filled with health, happiness, love, laughter, and prosperity.
All the best,
Lisa
COVID Update:
12/21/2021: 11,081, Countywide, 196 New Castle
12/17/2021: 6,808 Countywide, 113 New Castle
12/14/2021: 5,578, Countywide, 83 New Castle
12/09/2021: 4,279, Countywide, 73 New Castle
12/02/2020: 2,832, Countywide, 59 New Castle
11/18/2021: 1,685, Countywide, 39 New Castle
11/11/2021: 1,112, Countywide, 37 New Castle
11/04/2021: 1,066 Countywide, 34 New Castle
10/28/2021: 1,022 Countywide, 21 New Castle
10/20/2021: 1,276 Countywide, 27 New Castle
10/13/2021: 1,423 Countywide, 19 New Castle
10/07/2021: 1,451 Countywide, 21 New Castle
09/30/2021: 1,799 Countywide, 27 New Castle
09/23/2021: 2,231 Countywide, 41 New Castle
09/16/2021: 2,284 Countywide, 42 New Castle
09/09/2021: 2,368 Countywide, 22 New Castle
09/01/2021: 2,655 Countywide, 24 New Castle
08/25/2021: 2,752 Countywide, 20 New Castle
08/18/2021: 2,706 Countywide, 18 New Castle
08/11/2021: 2,326 Countywide, 24 New Castle
08/03/2021: 1,572 Countywide, 21 New Castle
07/26/2021: 929 Countywide, 13 New Castle
07/13/2021: 349 Countywide, 4 New Castle
07/06/2021: 214 Countywide, 3 New Castle
06/28/2021: 202 Countywide, 2 New Castle
06/14/2021: 304 Countywide, 2 New Castle
06/06/2021: 361 Countywide, 2 New Castle
05/03/2021: 1,923 Countywide, 13 New Castle
04/05/2021: 5,458 Countywide, 41 New Castle
03/03/2021: 5,815 Countywide, 59 New Castle
02/01/2021: 9,883 Countywide, 61 New Castle
01/19/2021: 11,372 Countywide, 139 New Castle (Peak)
COVID vaccines are now widely available at pharmacies, clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers and other locations across the state. Visit Vaccine Finder or the NY State vaccine appointment website or call 833-NYS-4-VAX.
Town Hall Holiday Schedule
Town Hall will be closed on Thursday, December 23 and Friday December 24 in observance of the Christmas Holiday.
Town Hall will also be closed on Monday, January 3 in observance of New Year’s Day!
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday season!
Refuse and Recycling Holiday Schedule
The New Castle Recycling Center will be closed:
Thursday, December 23rd
Friday, December 24th
Saturday, December 25th
Saturday, January 1st
There are no changes to the SaniPro Disposal Refuse and Recycling collections during the Christmas and New Year holiday.
Parking Permit Renewals Are Due Now
All Parking Permits are set to expired on December 14. This includes annual resident and non resident parking commuter parking, merchant parking and resident metered parking. Information for all renewals is available from the Town Clerk’s office at 914.238.4772, emailing Townclerk@mynewcastle.org and on the Town website HERE.
A Note from Town Board Member Morton:
Thank you to the Town of New Castle, Senator Harckham, Assembly Member Burdick and Legislator Gashi for recognizing my service to the community.
I have worked, to contribute creative ideas and healthy collaboration in my time on the New Castle Town Board and beyond. My personal priorities have been: advancing a more environmentally sustainable New Castle, preserving green space and our watershed, and working to help every New Castle resident feel welcome and important. I am proud that in this one year, we initiated New Castle’s participation in Community Solar, passed the NY Stretch Green Building Code, achieved Bronze Climate Smart Community status (with a promotion to Silver expected in early 2022!), dedicated a new Town Park (Jean Craighead George Park) and most importantly, supported smooth and safe town operations, reliable pandemic information and resources, and supported vaccine access for our residents in this difficult and ever-changing time. I am proud of our first LGBTQ Pride celebration, our diverse heritage proclamations and events throughout the year, and I hope there will be finalization of an Indigenous Peoples land acknowledgement for New Castle.
I have learned a great deal from my fellow town board members, and am grateful to them for their service and friendship.
I have learned, however, that the real “secret sauce” for a successful New Castle lies in the hands of our town staff and our boards and committees.
We are fortunate to have exceptional leaders in Jill Shapiro and Rob Deary. We have talented, deeply knowledgeable leaders in every department, and capable teams of employees that have demonstrated their friendliness, flexibility and diligence through remarkably difficult times. They continue to provide exceptional service to residents, and have taught me a great deal.
I have deep respect for the volunteers that make up our New Castle advisory and statutory boards. We are rich in the expertise of our community, and the generosity of those willing to apply their time and talents to the issues that impact all of us who live here. I encourage everyone with interest to pursue opportunities with our advisory boards, they are always seeking interested volunteers, and all meetings are open to the public. The work to make a better home here in New Castle is deeply rewarding.
I plan to continue serving on the Beautification Advisory Board, as well as volunteering with the Sustainability Advisory Board and Conservation Board. I am also excited to continue my many years of service on the board of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival.
I look forward to greeting you all at town events as the neighbors and friends we remain. It has been an honor serving you and this town that I deeply love.
In Gratitude and Service,
Lori Morton
First Congregational Church of Chappaqua
Virtual Christmas Eve Service
Since the Covid numbers are spiking, in order not to a “super-spreader” event, First Congregational Church has decided to have its 5 PM Christmas Eve service virtually only. For a link to the service and the bulletin, please go to fcc-chappaqua.org.
New Castle Historical Society
The Great Holiday Train Show
New Year's Celebration
Chappaqua Continuing Education
Winter Session Registration is OPEN
"Try to learn something about everything, and everything about something." - Thomas Huxley
We are happy to announce that CCE has an exciting line-up for the winter. Our program will be a hybrid of in-person classes, which will meet at Horace Greeley High School (unless otherwise noted), and online classes via Zoom, which can be taken from the comfort of your home!
Art / Art Appreciation / Virtual Tours - College Prep - Culinary - Exercise - Finance - Games & Fun - Garden & Home - Photography / Technology - World Languages
Some classes begin as early as January 10th
Register early to ensure your spot
Many classes sell out
We do cancel classes for lack of enrollment, so don't delay in expressing your interest.
For more information contact the Recreation Office at (914)238-3909
Now Hiring Part Time Evening and Weekend Staff
The New Castle Recreation Department is looking for employees to cover evening and weekend hours at the Community Center as well drivers Monday – Friday from 9-3pm to drive senior residents to appointments. All interested applicants should fill out an application and email back to cgrey@mynewcastle.org.
New Castle Senior Services
More Senior Program, Event & Service Information Available HERE
We look forward to seeing you at future events and programs. Please call the Center at 238-8888 for more information, and continue to check this enewsletter for weekly updates.
Train Show Tour for Seniors
January 7th at 1PM
Free Tour of New Castle Historical Society Train Show for New Castle Seniors
Friday January 7th at 1PM
RSVP to 914-238-8888 by Wednesday January 5th
Visit the library website for the most up to date information.
Read the latest Library New & Events Newsletter HERE. Sign Up to receive Library Newsletter direct to your email.
Help Wanted!
Mission Statement
The Town of New Castle strives to identify sustainable policies, practices and procedures that promote equal access to civic involvement opportunities to all its citizens regardless of race, gender, or other protected class, thereby creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive systems of community governance. All qualified and interested residents are strongly encouraged to apply.
Office of Community Liaison
The New Castle POLICE REFORM AND REINVENTION COLLABORATIVE COMMITTEE (PRRCC) recommended the Town of New Castle create an independent Office of the Community Advocate/Liaison. This Advocate/Liaison provides a more effective avenue to lodge an anonymous complaint.
The New Castle PRRCC acknowledges that the current system for reporting anonymous complaints is problematic as it allows a complainant to maintain anonymity when lodging a complaint, but fails to provide an avenue to allow the complainant follow-up and closure. They determined that the current system is problematic for the police as well, in that it does not allow for follow-up by the police in order to conduct an effective and thorough investigation (i.e., key material information is missing, so the investigation stalls).
Therefore, the Office of the Community Advocate/Liaison will:
Assist a complainant with filling out a complaint.
File the complaint on behalf of the complainant.
Maintain the anonymity of the complainant if desired.
Act as an intermediary with the police for the purpose of conducting a complete and thorough investigation.
Allow the complainant to be fully informed about the investigation while ongoing and when completed.
After the investigation is complete, the results will be conveyed to the complainant through the Community Advocate.
Allows the complainant closure.
Community Advocates/Liaisons are volunteers from the greater community, which should include members of the LGBTQ community, the interfaith council, and the BIPOC community.
If you are interested in becoming an Advocate/Liaison, please print, fill out the Town of New Castle Community Liaison Volunteer Applicationand submit it to the Town Administrator, Jill Shapiro, at JShapiro@mynewcastle.org.
Planning Board
The Town of New Castle is seeking an interested individual to fill a five-year Planning Board vacancy. Experience in architecture, planning, engineering and/or environmental sciences is not required. Candidates should possess a judicial temperament and be able to evaluate applications fairly and without bias. Candidates must be able to adhere to statutory authority outlined in and implemented through the New Castle Town Code.
The candidate must have an interest in community service and be willing to dedicate time to attend two meetings a month - the Board meets the first and third Tuesday’s of each month, except for the month of August. The Planning Board’s purview surrounds applications for subdivision approval, site plan approval, special use permits and other associated environmental permits for projects throughout the Town of New Castle. There is required training the successful candidate must complete in order to serve on this statutory board.
Interested candidates should submit a volunteer application form HERE by Friday January 7, 2022.
Environmental Review Board
We are looking to fill a regulatory board vacancy and requesting of interested citizens to join the Town of New Castle Environmental Review Board (ERB). The ERB was established on November 14th, 1989 and is governed by Chapter 137 “Wetlands” of the Town Code of New Castle. They are the primary approving authority for applications submitted in connection with the Town’s wetlands regulations.
Members are expected to be familiar with the regulatory thresholds and requirements of the Town ordinances relating to environmental protection, including steep slopes, trees, and especially wetlands and wetland buffers. They are also encouraged to develop skills in reading blueprints, maps, and draft plans, as well as the basic science underlying environmental evaluation.
The term of office for the ERB is three years.
Interested candidates should submit a volunteer application form HERE
Conservation Board
We are looking for additional members to join the town of New Castle Conservation Board. The Conservation Board studies and advises the Town Board and other Town departments, boards and commissions on developing sound open space planning and assuring preservation of natural and scenic resources within the Town of New Castle. The Conservation Board was established on May 13, 1975, meets on the first Monday of each month and the term of office is two years. We are particularly interested in applicants who are “DOERS” with any of the following skill sets: project management, communication/social media, knowledge of native plants and ecological/environmentally focused landscaping practices, and knowledge or interest in open space planning.
If you have an interest in helping the town in topics such as tree planting and invasive plant removal, ensuring that the town open spaces and parks are planned in accordance with conservation goals, and are able to communicate these goals and objectives to the larger New Castle Community - please submit an application found HERE and contact Dennis Corelli dcorelli@mynewcastle.org.
Town Hall: Learn More and Contact Us
Town Hall Meetings and Board Packets
Agendas, supporting documents, and minutes for Board meetings:
To watch videos from recent meetings recorded by New Castle Community Media Center, click here.
Stay Connected
To stay informed about your local government and community, click here to sign up for Town Hall e-News and Community e-News, and sign up with Nixle and Code Red to receive text messages and/or emails for emergency alerts and community events.
Community e-News Submissions
The Town uses the eNewsletter to keep residents informed about community news, meetings, events, initiatives, announcements and other important information. In addition, civic groups, not-for-profit and charitable organizations are welcome to submit time, place and date announcements for their upcoming events for inclusion in the eNewsletter free of charge.
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