Mayor Shawyn Patterson Howard’s Weekly Report — February 17, 2020

6 min readFeb 18, 2020

County unveils plans for new $25 million Memorial Field in Mount Vernon

A few weeks ago we met with County Officials to discuss the future of Memorial Field. Westchester County has committed $20 million to the project and the state will kick in the remaining $5 million. Thanks to County Executive George Latimer and County Legislator Lyndon Williams we are on track to getting the field complete by 2021.

Mount Vernon’s Senior Ball

Thank you to all of our Mount Vernon elders that came out yesterday to support and have fun at our first Senior Ball! We had a blast talking, laughing and dancing with the folks that help raise generations of young Mount Vernon leaders. You are our City’s heart! #ForwardTogether

Transition Teams Set to Hold Town Hall Meetings

We held a meeting last week with the Transition chairpersons of each of the committees. There was a wealth work being done by these committees on a weekly basis. Nearly 150 people comprise these teams and they interface with our city departments to help build out a report on Mount Vernon.

In the next few weeks we will be holding town halls to solicit suggestions from the public on ways to incorporate their thoughts into the transition reports. The report will be available for the public.

Our Second Budget Hearing Recap

Thank you to all the residents who came to our second 2020 Public Budget Hearing. We had the opportunity to clear the air on a number of issues regarding the Urban Renewal Agency, overtime, shortages in personnel, wages and more.

Happy Valentine’s Day Mount Vernon — Celebrating 32 Years of Marriage

32 years of marriage and the light shines as bright today as it then when we first met. To everyone, have a wonderful and Happy Valentine’s Day where you are surrounded by love and appreciation. ❤️

Transformation of the Highland Avenue Fence

The Highland Avenue fence separating the sidewalk area from the Hutchinson River Parkway has been transformed by our hardworking #MVDPW crews. This is a historic achievement as this area has been left in disrepair for more than a decade. Small tasks such as these are what DPW will continue to tackle moving forward, furthering progress throughout the City.

Mount Vernon’s 4 Weeks of Black History

Happy Black History Month Mount Vernon! In honor of the great strides and accomplishments many African Americans have made to move our country forward, we will be highlighting key figures in local government, entertainment, sports, and business over the next four weeks. Please follow @mountvernonny on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates.

Mount Vernon’s FREE Fresh Market Giveaway

Did you know Mount Vernon’s Fresh Market provides 200 families with FREE healthy food? Please review our flyer for a complete list of upcoming dates and locations.
If you are in need of any additional information please contact Shayne Brooks, Senior Coordinator of the program, by email at sbrooks@cmvny.com or call (914) 840–4040.

Women In Power Dinner on March 5th

Please join us for our first Youth Services Women in Power Dinner on March 5th. We are celebrating Mount Vernon’s Women in Power. Empowered women empower women!

WEDC’s 60-Hour Entrepreneurship Program Returns

The City is partnering with the Women’s Enterprise Development Center to offer a 60-hour Entrepreneurship program to 25 Mount Vernon residents who are starting and or growing their small businesses. Men and women are encouraged to apply at wedcbiz.org/60-hour-application-westchesterby February 28, 2020.

Course includes:
How to plan, establish and operate a business;
How to develop a business plan and raise capital;
How to create a budget and manage your business finance;
How to promote yourself and social media.

18-week Program
March 1, 2020 — June 23, 2020
Tuesdays
6:00 pm — 9:00 pm
Held at
City Hall, Memorial Room, 2nd Floor,
1 Roosevelt Square, Mount Vernon, NY 10550

For more information contact Persephone Zill at (914) 498–6098 (ext. 11)

Our 13th Annual Black History Challenge

The Mount Vernon Youth Bureau, through the Mt. Vernon Community That Cares Coalition (MVCTC), will host its 13th Annual Black History Challenge to encourage youth from various backgrounds to increase their knowledge of African Americans who have contributed to global history. This event will be held on Monday, February 24th at the Mount Vernon Armory from 3:00PM to 6:00PM.

Eight teams from the local middle and high schools will convene to display their knowledge of current and historical facts through friendly competition. Each participant from the winning team will receive gift cards and a first place plaque.

FREE Saturday S.T.E.A.M. at Mount Vernon Public Library

Calling all children between the ages of 6 and 12! The Mount Vernon Youth Bureau is preparing to host free S.T.E.A.M. classes every Saturday from February 22nd to March 28th at our Mount Vernon Public Library. Please call (914) 665–2344 for more information.

Office of Emergency Management’s Winter Garment Drive

We will be hosting a Winter Garment Drive from now until March 31! We are accepting new and lightly worn garments. Please deliver said items to one of our drop off location boxes:

City Hall | 1 Roosevelt Square West
The Armory | 144 N 5th Avenue

Please contact the Office of Emergency Management at Tjames@cmvny.com or (914) 665–2391 for further information.