Mayor Richard Thomas Weekly Report for July 15, 2017
Mount Vernon is united in this fight to fix our sewers, and we are stronger together!
Transparency and City Hall’s Digital Divide
A recent commercial shows LeBron James attempting to play basketball with outdated equipment. His ball is worn and has no air and his tight 70’s era shorts restrict his movements. This equipment hampers him and he fails to score. I’m sure LeBron would agree that playing with outdated equipment makes it next to impossible to adequately perform. Mount Vernon City Hall has been playing the “government game” with a deflated ball for a long time. Continue Reading…
Mayor Richard Thomas Town Hall Meeting
Wednesday, July 19th, Mayor Richard Thomas will be holding a town hall meeting at 7 pm at Our Lady of Victory School, 38 N 5th Ave in Mount Vernon. Mayor Thomas invites you to join him for a discussion on the progress of moving Mount Vernon forward. Come be part of the conversation as he talks about our fight to fix our sewers, the mission to repave our streets, the war against Zombie Structures, and the revitalization of Memorial Field. Let your voice be heard!
MV STRONG Credit Recovery Summer School Program
The Mount Vernon Youth Bureau STRONG Credit Recovery Summer School Program began on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at Mount Vernon High School with a total of 88 participants. The Credit Recovery Program allows students to enroll on Edmentum/PLATO, which is an online educational program that passes the rigor of NYSED and meets all secondary educational requirements for academic credit towards a High School Diploma. Some of the offerings include: Spanish 2; English 2, 3, or 4; Global History 1 or 2; U S History and Government; Health; Art; Participation in Government; Economics, Space and Earth Science; and Career Financial Management.
GEM Summer Leadership Academy
The Mount Vernon Youth Bureau GEM Summer leadership Academy began on Wednesday, July 5, 2017. The young ladies selected for the program are excited and eager to learn. Presently, they have participated in a variety of activities such as social issue debates, Arabic Foreign Language workshops, STEM workshops, and Fashion design. On Tuesday, July 11, 2017, participants were afforded the opportunity to experience a fun fitness activity at Skyzone Norwalk.
Safe Haven Summer Camp
The Mount Vernon Youth Bureau Safe Haven Summer Program launched on Wednesday, July 5, 2017. Participants of the program are off to a great summer where they are engaged in fun enriching activities such as fun fitness, art projects, music instruction, and mixed martial arts. On Tuesday, July 11, 2017, participants were afforded the opportunity to experience a fun fitness activity at Skyzone Norwalk.
USDA Summer Food Service Program
On Wednesday, Mount Vernon kicked of the 2017 summer feeding program. Mayor Thomas’ office has partnered with the Mount Vernon City School District and the USDA to bring the 2017 Summer Food Service Program. So many families depend on the schools to provide their children with breakfast and lunch every day. During the summer months, this program supplements the missing meals by providing healthy, nutritious meals to all children under the age of 18. Mount Vernon has 30 feeding sites strategically located around the city, to feed the over 2,200 children enrolled so far in the program. The program is free of charge and all children under 18 are welcome to stop by and receive a free meal. See Mayor Richard Thomas kick off the program by serving up a healthy meal for the MVHS Basketball Camp here.
Mount Vernon Fresh Market
Mount Vernon has partnered with the food bank of Westchester to bring you the Mount Vernon Fresh Market. The Food Bank will bring approximately 14,000 pound of fresh produce to be distributed to Mount Vernon residents, free of charge! The Mount Vernon Fresh Market will be going every other Friday at Municipal Lot 11 on the corner of Prospect and Park Avenues. The Market will be in Mount Vernon again Friday July 28th, so mark your calendars for every other Friday. Come get some free produce!
Mount Vernon Demolished a Dangerous Zombie Structure
This past Wednesday, Mount Vernon tore down that dangerous zombie Structure on South 9th Avenue.Commissioners Curtis Woods and Joe Nigro were on sight along with Mayor Richard Thomas to see the building demolished.The residents of the neighborhood can now rest easy knowing that this extremely dangerous burnt out structure is not going to collapse on top of them or their children as the walk down the street. Additionally, this horrendous eyesore has been erased from the landscape of our city.Another zombie Structure is slated to be razed on Monday. Mayor Thomas will not rest until all of these zombie vampires have been eradicated from Mount Vernon. Click here to watch a video of the demolition.
Pop-Up Block Parties
Mayor Richard Thomas has brought back the Mount Vernon Pop-Up Block Parties again this year. Last week we brought the party to South Second Ave and West 5th Street. Today we’ll be bringing the BBQ, bouncy castles and water blasters to the corner of Franklin and Madison Avenues from 1–4 pm. Come join us for a fun day of food, music and games for the kids. For a complete list of upcoming pop-ups visit cmvny.com
Summer Breeze Concert Series
Last week was R&B night for the summer breeze concert series outside City Hall. Live music featured The Dimension Band featuring Valerie Adams. Every Thursday until September 7th at 7 pm, Mount Vernonites gather on the plaza outside City Hall and enjoy the summer night breeze, live music and entertainment, and new this year, delicious jerk chicken. Come out and join us next Thursday more live music and fun on the steps of City Hall. If you missed last week, don’t worry; click here for a video of the concert.
Slide the City is Coming Back to Mount Vernon
Mark your calendars, Mount Vernon, because the one and only Slide the City is back in town! This 1,000 “slip-n-side” will be taking over Gramatan Avenue the last weekend in August. Grab your swimsuits and flip-flops and be prepared for summertime right in our backyards. Click here to watch videos of last year’s event. Click here to see highlights from last year’s Slide the City in Mount Vernon.
Mount Vernon Green Thumb Challenge
Mayor Richard Thomas and The Mount Vernon Department of Public Works are calling on all gardeners to participate in our 1st Annual Green Thumb Challenge throughout the Summer. As the season approaches, we want to see how you are keeping Mount Vernon beautiful. Send us pictures of your gardens, flowers, trees, and greenery. Submit pictures along with your name and address to MayorThomas@cmvny.com using the subject “Mount Vernon Green Thumb Challenge 2017” or post your pictures to Social Media and tag us at Mayor Thomas’ Facebook Page www.facebook.com/MayorRichardThomas or on Twitter using @MayorRichThomas AND @MVDPW along with the hashtag #MVGreenThumb. Be Sure to Include Your Name with All Pictures!!
Mark Your Calendars: Slide the City 2017 is August 26th-27th. MV Cityfest is set for September 16th.
Listen to us live:
Every week, Mayor Thomas speaks to Yonkers Tribune radio with host Hezi Aris: Catch this week’s interview here for an unvarnished look at what’s happening in Mount Vernon: Mayor Thomas also hosts Mount Vernon Moving Forward every Friday on WVOX, from 5pm to 6pm. You can listen to this week’s show here for an in-depth discussion about the what’s going on in Mount Vernon. On the Internet, tune in to Future 98.9 every Wednesday at 8:30am to listen to Mayor Thomas and Minister P. Tyson. You can find last week’s interview here. On Tuesdays at 8am, you can hear Mayor Thomas on 101.5 Linkage Radio. Catch last week’s discussion here.
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