Croton’s Conservation Advisory Council is teaming up with the Croton Library to launch a community Repair Café, a move aimed at keeping broken household items out of the local waste stream.
During the CAC’s October 14 meeting, council member Sherry Horowitz announced that after consulting with Hudson Valley Repair Café coordinator Suzie Fromer, the library was chosen as the ideal venue. The CAC will act as a primary partner, taking charge of recruiting "fixers," organizing volunteers, and covering the costs of food and supplies. Chair John Ealer noted he will follow up with Brian Healy to secure the necessary funding. The inaugural event is tentatively scheduled for either February 7th or 28th.
In other environmental updates, Mayor Brian Pugh, serving as the council's liaison, shared that village enforcement is actively policing seasonal noise and pollution rules. So far in 2025, the village has issued 17 violations for off-season leaf blower use.
The council also received an update on the ongoing Natural Resources Inventory (NRI). Representatives who attended a September 22nd kickoff meeting in Cortlandt described a positive, logistics-focused initial session. The next NRI update is set for December 10th at 6:00pm at Village Hall, after which materials will be shared with the full CAC.
Residents can also expect to see improvements to local green spaces. The Garden Club replaced plants at Gottwald Circle and has ordered new horticultural signs. Additionally, the Recreation Department is partnering with the CAC on a November event focused on lawn conversion and pollinator gardens—those interested can sign up through the Recreation Department.
On the trails front, the committee is winding down its busy summer season, pausing volunteer workdays for the winter. Recent achievements include installing two new signs on North Highland and marking three-quarters of the crossings on the Upper Highland Loop. The council is exploring adding a new trail section near Duck Pond and potentially integrating the updated trails map into the NRI.
The CAC rounded out the evening by looking ahead, asking members to brainstorm a vision and concrete goals for Earth Day 2026, and planning a rotating seasonal topic calendar for the "Conservation Corner" of the village newsletter.