By Sharon Torres -
Welcome Ike
The Police Department will soon have a new member. Ike is a Golden/Labrador Retriever mix who didn’t quite measure up as a service dog. This, however, makes her a great candidate for public service work. Police Chief Sandra DiRuzza shifted the focus of the Village’s K-9 member to act as a comfort dog, in addition to other police work. That led her to Southeastern Guide Dogs, an organization that trains dogs for people with disabilities. Occasionally, one of their trainees cannot be placed and they offer the dog to police departments for adoption. There are currently other Southeastern dogs in Westchester. The only acquisition cost to the Village is transporting the dog from Florida. The typical cost for a police dog is between $7,500 and $10,000.
Ike, a two-year-old female, will be joining us soon. The current K-9 officer, Vinny, will be retiring along with his handler in a few months.
Board Moves Forward with Term Changes
At the Work Session, the Board voted to schedule a public hearing on a new local law (See HERE) to extend future member terms to four years from two years and change the elections to even years only. The Hearing will be scheduled at the next Board meeting (4/24) to be held on May 8. Public comments are vital to the democratic process and there is no time limit to speak during Public Hearings.
Dog Park Gets a Name
The Board agreed to name the dog park “Bark Park at Harbor Island.” This action will allow staff to continue work on the Grand Opening scheduled for Saturday, May 20.
It’s Raining Ants?
Just a few minutes after the Board heard a litany of problems with the municipal building at 169 Mt. Pleasant Avenue (where the meeting was being held), ants came dropping down from the ceiling over their heads. Coincidence? Photo by Trustee Lou Young.
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