Peekskill, Ossining Receive Planning Achievement Awards
By Rick Pezzullo
The City of Peekskill and Town of Ossining recently received Planning Achievement Awards from the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation (WMPF).
Peekskill was recognized Nov. 29 during a virtual ceremony for the design of the Peekskill Central Firehouse and the transformation of Esther Street into a pedestrian-only space with outdoor seating for dining and live entertainment.
“Esther Place and the Peekskill Central Firehouse are just a few examples of the many projects that have helped make the City of Peekskill a premier destination in Westchester County as well as the Hudson Valley region,” said Peekskill Mayor Andre Rainey.
The 30,330-square-foot Peekskill Central Firehouse, located at Main and Broad Streets, was designed by Mitchell Associates Architects to replace five aging stations.
“We are happy to have worked closely with the City of Peekskill in the design of a new central fire station,” said Bob Mitchell, Principal of Mitchell Associates Architects. “Peekskill now has a well-placed facility that serves as a gateway to the city, meets the needs of the fire service, and serves as a public meeting space for the community.”
Esther Street is a short alley that runs from Division to Brown Streets. It was closed to vehicle traffic by the Common Council and repurposed with Peekskill Walks, a resident-led volunteer group dedicated to making Peekskill’s streets safe, advocating for the project.
“It’s been so exciting and rewarding to see Esther Street become a beloved center of life in our downtown,” said Conor Greene, co-founder of Peekskill Walks. “A lot of great things have already happened there, from music to friends meeting for coffee to movie nights, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds. It really shows what can happen when the community brings an idea to City Hall and then works with government to get it done.”
In neighboring Ossining, the WMPF honored town officials in the area of historic preservation for their work on the Superintendent’s Cottage at Dale Cemetery.
That project has been in the works since 2016 and was completed in June. It was overseen by Pete Connolly, superintendent of the cemetery. Dale Cemetery, founded in 1851, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. The town took ownership of it in 2003.
“Dale Cemetery invokes the spirit of the Rural Cemetery movement to this day, with the grounds continuing to serve as an active cemetery, as well as a valued open space featuring a Heritage Trail,” said Ossining Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg.
“Walking the grounds tells the story of Ossining’s diversity and rich history, and the restoration of the Superintendent’s Cottage has brought a renewed sense of pride in our community’s past and magnified the importance of the cemetery. Ossining values this unique open space, and the town is proud to have preserved this treasured historic artifact.”
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