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Ossining Hiring Downtown Manager To Boost Business

OSSINING, N.Y. – Village officials are looking to boost business in the downtown and waterfront areas with the creation of a new downtown development manager position.

"We're hoping that this manager will single-mindedly look for businesses, convince them to move into the downtown and convince people that Ossining is the place to live, the place to do business and the place to do recreation," said village Mayor William Hanauer.

The half-time position pays $50,000, and village officials are looking to fill it by the beginning of the new year.

"I think it's wonderful. It definitely shows promise and progress and it's something that's been needed for a long time," said Gayle Marchica, the president of the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce who owns an education support company called Eduscape Associates. "We hope the person will work in concert with the Chamber of Commerce and be able to make downtown a destination place where people will come from anywhere to shop and to eat and for entertainment."

Funding for the Downtown Development Manager position will not come from taxes, Hanauer said. Instead, it will come either from a state grant or from $250,000 that was set aside for downtown development in a land use agreement with Cappelli Enterprises and Ginsburg Development, the developers of One Harbor Square on the waterfront.

"When Miguel Hernandez and I were still trustees in 2005 we talked about creating a position whose sole focus would be on economic development of downtown and the business district," Hanauer said, referring to a former village of Ossining mayor. "In the village's Comprehensive Plan, there is a recommendation for hiring such a person."

Hanauer hopes that the new manager will "aggressively pursue" businesses to move into spaces that are available in Ossining, including an spot next to the pharmacy at the intersection of Main Street and South Highland Avenue that used to be Mauro's Restaurant.

"The more interesting restaurants you have, the more people come downtown, the more interesting restaurants you will have," the mayor said. "Right now a realtor is looking for someone to occupy Mauro's spot, but there's no reason the village shouldn't help out."

Applicants for the new position should have a masters in public administration and at least one year of experience in budgeting, conflict resolution and/or municipal government or economic development, Hanauer said.

Anyone interested in the position should turn their resume in to Assistant Village Manager Christina Papes at Village Hall at 16 Croton Ave.

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