Downtown Improvement Grant Winners Announced
By Stephen E. Lipken
Mayor Chance Mullen called the October 14th Village of Pelham Board of Trustees Meeting to order, beginning with Trustee Krystal Howell congratulating the Fire Department for a great family event on October 4th with the Breast Cancer Awareness Chili Cook Off proceeds benefiting Making Strides Westchester.
Trustee Theresa Mohan noted that October was Fire Prevention Month and the Fire Department went going to schools to help students understand fire prevention. “One of the themes of Fire Prevention Month was ‘Charge into Fire Safety,’ pointing out potential dangers of lithium-ion batteries in homes,” Mohan stressed.
As of October 2025, the Village is in the final stages of discussing its Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) with data collection nearly complete. NRI is being developed by the Village’s Sustainability Advisory Board and Climate Smart Communities Task Force, which the Village Board of Trustees appointed to assist in achieving and maintaining Climate Smart Community certification.
Trustee Don Otondi said that the Department of Public Works fall leaf cleanup runs through December 15th. Leaves must go between the sidewalk and curb, not in the street.
The Pelham Chamber of Commerce announced the winners of the Downtown Improvement Grants, according to Mayor Mullen. “We partnered with the Chamber a couple of years ago to put in a Grant Application to Westchester County and recipients of the Grant got $250,000 to use on various projects. Before that, we got a consultant for six months who came in and did a survey of the community. The consultant gave us feedback on ways that we could make our downtown safer, more attractive and generate more foot traffic.”
Up to 2/3 of the project cost will be eligible for reimbursement (e.g., a $7,500 project can receive up to $5,000). Grant highlights encompassed Storefront Facades, Signage Updates, Outdoor Seating or Displays, Lighting and Accessibility or Code Upgrades.