After a dreary beginning, an evening snowfall gave our local landscape the magic it needed to begin a New Year. As I came into Village Hall this morning, I hung up my coat, my hat, and unconsciously my mask!! Well, hopeful thinking as we long for the day we can all do that.
The New Year brings its hopes and resolutions. I’ve learned from experience not to be too ambitious in this category. How many gym memberships have fallen in the wake of February? So, slow and steady is my mantra. Lasting change occurs in small and thoughtful, if not determined, steps. A little planning and some realistic goals are always a good beginning.
The next two weeks will be a litmus test on the possible ripple effect of the Holidays, family gatherings, and the continued spread of COVID-19. With a new strain in the wings, it gives us a moment of pause and concern.
Still, there are many reminders that we remain in the rough waters of a serious pandemic. The Library has closed its doors for the next 10 days due to an employee who tested positive. As difficult as it is, we must remain careful and continue to follow the CDC and Orange County Department of Health guidelines.
Although our offices at Village Hall remain temporarily closed to the public, business continues as well as all of our activities. A reminder, all water and sewer bills, as well as court fines, can be paid via eCheck, credit or debit card. Curbside pickup for Christmas trees has begun and will last for two weeks. We will begin the much-anticipated rewriting of the Villages Comprehensive Master Plan which was to begin in 2020 but was put on hold. Work continues in our parks preparing for the next season- there is no time for hibernation!
I want to again thank Dan Cecconie and his media students from the Warwick School District who helped us create a virtual Apple Eve. I also want to thank Pastor Stacey Duensing Pearce and Pastor Jennifer Morrow for contributing some meaningful words as we prepare for the New Year. Thank you too to Mike Sweeton and Mike Moser and our DPW. The virtual experience is surely not the same thing but to that extent, the trying and exploring of ways to recreate these events will be a legacy of this time.
