Watching Putnam Valley

Events

April Events (curated)

April 1st at 5:30pm - Annual egg hunt at Leonard Wagner Memorial Park with crafts, music, dancing and food April 4th from 2pm to 3:30pm - New York State and the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, a presentation by Rob Buccheri, a local teacher and reenactor, at

PV News Briefs

• The first results of the Putnam Valley Library's strategic planning process are coming into view. Its newly renovated community room is now open for business, enabling it to offer a more conducive setting for local groups to hold meetings. And it has just launched the first of what

Environment

Whoops, Not So Fast!

It looks like Christian Russo jumped the gun when he announced at Wednesday's Town Board meeting that Lake Peekskill and Barger Pond had been added to the state's list of water bodies eligible for septic replacement funding. In that meeting, he attributed the information to Rian

Environment

Some Help From the State

Putnam Valley homeowners are finally about to get some help from the state to combat environmental problems many have been contending with. New York's Department of Health has begun offering free testing of private wells for PFAS in six counties, plus rebates for up to $5,000 if

Government

The Fire Dept.'s Woeful Tale

Read it and weep. That's the only way to foreshadow the detailed report the Putnam Valley Volunteer Fire Department provided to Town Supervisor Alison Jolicoeur following her tour of the construction site of its new headquarters at 216 Oscawana Lake Road. The litany of mistakes, bad luck and

Government

The Town vs. The County

Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne likes to hold his annual State of the County address in different parts of the county to highlight thriving local businesses. This year it was Putnam Valley's turn, but unfortunately the venue that was chosen wasn't allowed to hold that kind

PV Celebrates Earth Week

In a sign of growing interest in the environment, this year Putnam Valley residents will have an extensive array of events to choose from to celebrate April's Earth Week. As can be seen from the calendar of events on the town's website, there is something for

Government

Senior Tax Exemption Preserved

Putnam Valley's Town Board dodged a bullet. At last month's meeting, they approved a resolution that was supposed to support an increase in the tax exemption level allowed to certain seniors. Unfortunately, due to sloppy drafting, the resolution stated the opposite. The board unwittingly voted to

Events

March Events (curated)

March 7th from 10am to 1pm - Beekeeping 101 at the Putnam Valley Grange. Everything you wanted to know about starting your first hive. The cost is $25, register here March 7th from 2pm to 3pm - Songs of Patriotism, Praise and Protest, an exploration of the music that has

Environment

Septic Issues at Lake Peekskill

There's trouble in Lake Peekskill. Residents have been growing alarmed by reports on Facebook of homes with septic runoff coming out of properties and leading into storm drains, and ultimately, their lake. To quell the concerns, on February 13th the town issued a public statement: "The Town

Environment

Why Zoning Matters

If ever Putnam Valley needed an example of why zoning matters, the case involving Citywide Automotive & Towing on Peekskill Hollow Road is it. Last May, the owners of that well-regarded auto repair company submitted an application to the Planning Board for permission to construct a 100 ft. by 51

Government

Town Board Update

At yesterday's monthly meeting, the Town Board voted to withdraw its resolution to rezone sections of Putnam Valley to make them more hospitable to commercial development. Instead, Supervisor Alison Jolicoeur said she would task a working group with creating a new comprehensive plan for the town that would

Events

New Public Hearing Date

In order to provide sufficient advance notice, the public hearing to review the Putnam Valley Volunteer Fire Department's next contract has been moved to January 28th at 6pm at Town Hall.

Government

Jolicoeur Hits the Ground Running

Hints of how Alison Jolicoeur intends to define her administration as Putnam Valley's new supervisor were revealed yesterday as she put her stamp on the Town Board's first meeting of the year. Despite dealing with a long list of housekeeping resolutions at the required "reorganization

Government

Supervisor Annabi Reflects

As Jacqueline Annabi prepares to leave Town Hall at the end of the year after four years as Town Supervisor and another 11 as a Town Board member, she offered these written responses to questions. The exchange has been lightly edited for clarity and conciseness: As you look back over

Government

Supervisor-Elect Gears Up

Since her victory by 23 votes was finally certified on November 26th, Alison Jolicoeur has been busy preparing to take over as the next Town Supervisor for Putnam Valley. She faces a unique challenge: Most supervisors get a two-year term to prove their mettle and had already served on the

Government

Democracy At Work

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! That was the overwhelming sentiment expressed at last night's jam-packed hearing about the Town Board's zoning proposal to encourage more small business activity in Putnam Valley. For more than an hour, speaker after speaker spoke

Government

How Business Friendly Should Putnam Valley Be?

For the last few years, the Town Board has expressed a desire to open up more areas of Putnam Valley to small businesses, "mom and pop" in character, in a way that would integrate them smoothly into residential areas and help boost the town's tax base.

Government

The Suspense Is Over

The election results aren't yet certified, but it seems inevitable that Alison Jolicoeur will be Putnam Valley's new town supervisor in January and C.J. Brooks will replace Stacey Tompkins on the Town Board. With just a handful of ballots still trickling in, the Democratic candidate,

Government

When Will We Really Know?

Putnam Valley residents are on tenterhooks as they await the final, final outcome of the election for their Town Supervisor and Town Board members. At issue is whether the Republican and Conservative party will maintain control of the town and its direction, as they have for many years, or whether

Government

Election Drama Continues

The razor thin margin that put Town Supervisor Jaqueline Annabi ahead of Alison Jolicoeur in last night's unofficial results was erased today as more absentee and early mail-in ballots were counted. According to the county's Board of Elections, Jolicoeur is now ahead of Annabi by six

Government

PV Election Results

The unofficial results are in and the margins of victory are razor thin. Republican Supervisor Jacqueline Annabi has been reelected with 1,428 votes, 11 more than those cast for her opponent, Alison Jolicoeur, who ran on the Democratic and Working Together lines. Jolicoeur ran a spirited campaign that earned

Government

PV Candidates Forum

The video recording of the October 20th "Meet the Candidates" forum was released by the Lake Peekskill Civic Association on Saturday and can be found at this link. Unfortunately, there are technical glitches in the recording that interrupt and complicate the viewing experience. That said, here are some

Government

Town Budget Unveiled

At this week's work session, the Town Board released its proposed budget for 2026 and scheduled a public hearing for residents to discuss it on Wednesday, October 15th at 6pm. The board is proposing to increase the town's budget next year by 2.25% while keeping

Government

Your Town Board Candidates

Putnam Valley voters will have an opportunity on November 4th to elect two of the three candidates who are seeking to represent them on the Town Board next year. Two are incumbents, Stacey Tompkins and Christian Russo, and one is a relative newcomer, C.J. Brooks. Tompkins and Russo are