Groundbreaking; Festa; Mayor's Choice Award; Metro Awards

From Mayor Ron Belmont

Avalon Bay recently hosted a groundbreaking at the site of the soon to be constructed 143 unit, transit-oriented apartment community on Halstead Avenue. The event was commemorated with a traditional “shovel in the ground” ceremony. Local public officials as well as MTA and Metro North executives joined the Avalon team as the plans for this exciting project were presented.

This development reflects a genuine opportunity to kick start the revitalization of our downtown. We can expect almost 300 new residents, new restaurants and shops, streetscape enhancements, and two new pedestrian plazas. This entire project is consistent with our Comprehensive Plan which Harrison adopted in 2013. We are finally on the road to creating an important downtown neighborhood which will provide benefits for all Harrison residents.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the annual St. Anthony’s Festa in West Harrison. The weather was spectacular as thousands of residents and visitors attended the festivities and enjoyed the food, games and celebration.

Food vendors provided Festa favorites that included sausage and peppers, pasta and fresh cannoli. Children’s activities, music, dancing and carnival rides were enjoyed by many Festa attendees. This year’s event was a great success and provided a wonderful way to showcase our area’s Italian heritage. As is the tradition at the conclusion of the Festa, church leaders and parishioners from St. Anthony’s form a procession while carrying the statue of St. Anthony. This will be Father Chris Monturo’s last Festa procession.

On Saturday, June 15 th at 5PM, Father Chris will celebrate his final Mass at St. Anthony’s. Our church community will gather together as we thank Father Chris for his years of spiritual leadership and wish him well as he journeys forth.

I would like to take this time to recognize Harrison student Katia Barker and her charitable endeavors. Katia began working with Thirst Project as a 14 year old student. Her mission was simple, to fully fund water projects for communities in need. In the past three years, Katia raised over $28,000, and recently traveled to Eswatini to film a documentary about the water crisis.
Congratulations, Katia. Your hard work and dedication will have a tremendous impact on those in need around the world.

The Town/Village of Harrison’s Town Board recently recognized the winners of the 2019 Mayor’s Choice Award, a long-running and most prestigious recognition for talented students. More than 100 works of art were submitted for review and four students received this notable distinction.

Additionally, all the award-winning selections will become part of the permanent collection exhibited in Town Hall. Recipients of the 2019 Mayor’s Choice Award are Filippa Rasmussen, Gabriela Gonzalez, Jacob Burack, and Madalyn Amaral. This award represents the diverse talents of our local student body and the varied curricula offered by individual art departments. Every spring, incredibly beautiful pieces of art are entered and it is a privilege to recognize the hard work and dedication of each student and their teachers. Each year, I look forward to joining the committee, as we evaluate the submissions, and am always impressed with the creativity of our youngest residents.

Congratulations to Harrison students who recently received a Metropolitan High School Theater Award. This award is given each year to local students who have demonstrated exceptional talent in high school musical productions. At this year’s ceremony, I was proud to watch as the following Harrison students were recognized: Michael Jubak, Jr. for Comic Performance-Male, Jessie Alfieri for Acting Performance-Female, and Jaqueline Cabrero for Technical Merit.

The next “Lunch with the Mayor” is on Friday, June 14 th and I will be at Aria Asian Fusion located at 385 Halstead Ave. in Downtown Harrison. On Friday, June 21 st I will be at Tredici North at 578 Anderson Hill Road on Purchase. I will be at these locations from 12:30 to 1:30 and look forward to meeting with residents and talking about issues facing our community.