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December 5, 2024
Dear Neighbors,
As we approach the close of 2024, it is impossible to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to our Town of Wappinger. It is truly an honor to serve as your Town Supervisor, and I’m constantly humbled by the opportunity to work alongside so many dedicated residents, business owners, employees, and community leaders who make Wappinger such a special place.
Time has truly flown by this year, and as we enter this festive season, be sure to take a step back and cherish the moments with your loved ones. The holidays are a perfect time to reflect on the blessings we have, and to share joy with family and friends.
Wappinger is ready to spread Christmas and holiday cheer throughout the month of December with a variety of exciting activities for all ages. From tree and menorah lighting ceremonies to festive parades, we’ve packed this season full of events to help create lasting memories. On behalf of our Parks and Recreation team, we encourage everyone to join in the celebrations and enjoy the holiday spirit!
As we celebrate, let’s also remember to support our wonderful local businesses this holiday season. Wappinger’s small businesses are the backbone of our community, and they need our support now more than ever. Shopping local helps our town thrive and keeps our unique character strong.
We are proud to announce that the 2025 Final Budget has been approved unanimously by the Town Board. This year’s budget reflects our commitment to expanding services and programs for residents while remaining under the tax cap. Importantly, we’ve also managed to offer a tax rate reduction, which will benefit all of our taxpayers during our Sesquicentennial Year, as we celebrate 150 years of Wappinger’s rich history. As we look to next year, I am confident that we can move forward with even more progress here in our community and continue to see increased improvements as we enhance your quality of life.
On behalf of my family and our Wappinger Town employees and officials, we wish each and every one of you a joyous and peaceful holiday season. May the New Year bring good health, happiness, and continued prosperity to all.
See you around Town,
Joseph D. Cavaccini, Town Supervisor
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2024 HOLIDAY FESTIVE EVENTS HAPPENING AROUND
YOUR TOWN OF WAPPINGER
Your Guide to Local Holiday Events Happening During the Month of December.
Please scroll through all of our events as there are quite a few around town!
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CELEBRATION OF LIGHTS
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2024
Schlathaus Park
5PM-7:30PM
This year’s tree lighting will take place December 7th from 5PM-7:30PM. Please join us for this annual celebration where we light the Town tree!
This year will be having a parade of lights! Get your car, trucks, trailers decorated in the best lights and join the parade! Registration button below! Line-up for parade is at 4:30pm.
We will have hot chocolate and cookies, a craft and game for the children, and a visit from our Jolly friend Santa! There will be gift bags available for the first 300 kids who visit Santa!
This is a free event! Registration is only required for driving/marching in the parade of lights!
THE HOLIDAY PARTY
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2024
Villa Borghese
11:30AM-2PM
Sign up to attend at the Town of Wappinger Senior Center! Please join us in celebration of the Holiday Season and enjoy Food, Drinks & Live Music!
LETTERS TO SANTA
LETTER DEADLINE FOR DROP OFF - DECEMBER 11TH
DROP OFF LOCATION: WAPPINGER TOWN HALL DURING BUSINESS HOURS
Or letters can be mailed to 20 Middlebush Road, Wappingers Falls NY, 12590
with attention to Recreation Department.
Santa is getting ready to make his deliveries and needs to know what you want this year! Grab a letter template from our website or pick one up at our Recreation office at Town Hall. Please make sure to include child’s full name, address, and phone number on letter.
LIGHT UP WAPPINGER
JUDGING DATES: DECEMBER 14TH & 15TH
Introducing Light Up Wappinger! This is a new event we are bringing to the town! Do you decorate your house or business every year? This is your chance to show it off to the community!
Light Up Wappinger will be taking place December 14th and 15th between 5PM-9PM.
How it Works -
Decorate your home or business with one of the category themes.
Must be a Town of Wappinger resident (this includes the village).
Decorations must be visible from the street and lit up on December 14th & 15th from 5PM-9PM for judging.
To be including in the voting, you must have your address registered.
Online voting closes December 18th.
3 Prize Categories
Most Lights
Traditional
Best Movie Theme
A map of all the participants in Light Up Wappinger will be provided here as well as on social media. After viewing all the spots, there will be an online voting form to be completed. This form will allow you to vote on the top place in each category! Paper voting forms will be available in the Recreation Office at Town Hall. The place with the most votes in the prize category will receive a gift!
Online voting and all paper voting forms must be completed by December 18th.
PIGGY BANK BAZAAR
- FOR CHILDREN -
NEW HACKENSACK REFORMED CHURCH
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2024
STARTING AT 9AM-12PM
- NO GIFTS OVER THREE DOLLARS -
FREE GIFT WRAPPING
Guides will be available to help all younger children shop or parents may assist their children with shopping. Adults may shop from 12-12:30pm. Snow date will be 12/8 from Noon to 3pm.
HANUKKAH CELEBRATION
MESIER PARK
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2024
STARTING AT 5:30PM
 2024 SANTA RUN LOCATIONS
Santa will be cruising all over the Town of Wappinger in STYLE, courtesy of New Hackensack, Chelsea, & Hughsonville Fire Departments. See all Details BELOW!
CHELSEA FIRE COMPANY
SANTA RUN
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2024
STARTING AT 9:00AM
Follow the Chelsea Fire Company Facebook Page to find out
where Santa & the Grinch are!
NEW HACKENSACK FIRE COMPANY
SANTA RUN
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2024
STARTING AT 8:30AM
Follow the New Hackensack Fire Company Facebook Page to find out
where Santa will be! Listen for festive music as Santa announces his arrival!
HUGHSONVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
SANTA & CANDY CANE RUN
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2024
STARTING AT 9:00AM
Follow the Hughsonville Fire Department Facebook Page to find out
where Santa will be! Please listen for the holiday music as we escort Santa through our Fire District.
HUGHSONVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
SANTA PANCAKE BREAKFAST
SUNDAY DECEMBER 8, 2024
8AM-11AM
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Supervisor Cavaccini Visits Local Hot Spots Around Town on Small Business Saturday!
On Small Business Saturday, our elected officials are always proud to celebrate ALL small businesses in Wappinger!
We urge all of our residents to shop local today and everyday!
#WappingerProud
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Dutchess County Figure Skater Going for Gold at
Special Olympics World Games 2025
The Dutchess Figure Skating Club (DFSC) proudly celebrates figure skater Ryan Chin, who will represent Team USA at the 2025 Special Olympics World Games in Turin, Italy.
Chin, a member of the club training at the McCann Ice Arena in Poughkeepsie, has dedicated the past 11 years of his life to honing his craft and inspiring those who share the ice with him.
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Wappinger Town Hall Serves as Donation Center for Toys for Tots Program
Wappinger Town Hall is an Official Toys For Tots Collection Center The Toys For Tots collection box will be located in the front lobby of Town Hall until December 8th!
Town Hall Business Hours are 8:30am – 4:00pm. Thank you for any and all donations!
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Designated Parking For Our Senior Center Members Installed at Wappinger Town Hall
Seniors shouldn’t have to look hard for a parking spot to attend programs at our Senior Center!
Town Supervisor Joseph D. Cavaccini and the Parks and Recreation Department are proud to announce designated parking spots for our Senior Center members at Wappinger Town Hall.
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The Town of Wappinger is proud to offer senior citizen enrichment opportunities through art classes, bingo, boccee , book club, bridge club, chair volleyball, chair yoga, chess, exercise classes, gardening club, knitting & crochet group, lunch and a movie, mahjjong, Mexican trains, monthly crafts, monthly birthday parties, pinochle, pokeno, quilting, rummikub, Zumba, and so much more!
Feel free to stop in at any time and find out what new and exciting events are happening at the center!
 WAPPINGER TOWN
FINAL BUDGET
2025
Town Supervisor Cavaccini and Wappinger Town Board Approve 2025 Budget Under Tax Cap and Expands Services
Spending Plan for Town’s Sesquicentennial Year To Expand Services and Programs While Being Under The Tax Cap and Offering a Tax Rate Reduction
WAPPINGER NY – During the November 20, 2025 Special Meeting of the Wappinger Town Board, Town Supervisor Joseph D. Cavaccini, Senior Councilman William H. Beale, Councilwoman Angela Bettina, and Councilman Al Casella unanimously voted to approve the Town’s 2025 Final Budget. Councilman Christopher Phillips could not attend the meeting but offered his support to the adopted Budget.
“After many months of crafting and careful deliberation, we are pleased to present the Final Wappinger Town Budget for fiscal year 2025, a sound and balanced financial plan for the 150th year of the Town of Wappinger, that will be under the Tax Levy Cap with a Tax Rate decrease. As announced in the 2024 State of the Town Address, this administration has strengthened this Town’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, as we undertook a comprehensive review of our financials, diligently drilling down to uncover true expenses and discrepancies. I am proud to report that the Town of Wappinger is in excellent overall financial shape, now doubled with the strong new internal policies and procedures that have been implemented throughout 2024 that allowed us to develop a realistic understanding of our expenses and revenues.”, said Town Supervisor Cavaccini.
Through this careful planning, the Town’s Final Budget reduces Town taxes through a tax rate decrease and staying under the NYS Tax Levy Cap at 1.86%. Taxpayers will find that the newly forecasted Town-Outside Village Homestead rate of $1.59 per thousand of assessed value from $1.70 per thousand of assessed value and the Village portion of the Homestead rate will be $0.65 per $1,000 of assessed value. Non-Homestead rates are $2.94 per thousand of assessed value for Town-Outside and $1.20 per thousand of assessed value for Town Inside Village. All forecasts are decreases in the tax rate. In being more realistic in Town revenues, such as sales tax, interest, State aide, etc., the 2025 Final Budget alleviates a significant potential burden on taxpayers by only levying $9,051,946 of our total $20,725,588 budget on property taxpayers.
Cavaccini went on to say that, “This budget not only meets all our contractual obligations and anticipated increases but also allows us to expand our Parks & Recreation Department programming to include two Summer Camps and expanded Senior Citizen enrichment services, increase our aggressive targeted traffic enforcement of the Wappinger Patrol, expanding our efforts when it comes to applying for grant funding, enhance our parks and facilities infrastructure, invest in significant capital improvements for our Town’s water and sewer systems and reconstruct 8 miles of Town roadway infrastructure – the most in recent history. This is in addition to continuing our commitment to creating a safer work environment for our Buildings and Grounds Department, among many other initiatives. Additionally, we are excited to allocate resources to celebrate our Town’s sesquicentennial through the Wappinger150 initiative, that will highlight a year’s worth of events and programs for families of all ages to enjoy!”
Fourth Ward Councilman Al Casella stated, “This budget is fiscally sound and conservative. The tax cap rate will be 1.86%, which is below the 2% rate as dictated by NYS. It takes into account the needs of the residents such as: additional funding for senior programs, upgrading various town properties like parks to enhance our quality of life, additional funding for medical costs that continue to skyrocket, continued and enhanced police protection for the safety of our residents, funding for our highway team to keep our roads safe and clean.
There are many other improvements in the budget not listed above . These are just some of the highlights. I appreciate all the hard work and effort of the board and our comptroller. We may not agree on everything, but the board is dedicated to do what is in the best interest of our residents.”
The 2025 plan is available on the Town’s website as well as at the Office of the Town Clerk.
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Wappinger Town Lowers Flags to Half Staff in Memory of Carol Waddle-Dickson
The Town of Wappinger is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Town Zoning Board of Appeals member Carol Waddle-Dickson at 85 years old. Town Supervisor Joseph D. Cavaccini has directed flags at the Memorial Plaza in front of Wappinger Town Hall to be lowered to half-staff.
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HUGHSONVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
in partnership with
THE FIRE CHIEF'S COUNCIL OF DUTCHESS COUNTY
DUTCHESS COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF FIRE DISTRICTS
DUTCHESS COUNTY VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION
PRESENTS THE 1ST ANNUAL
GET FIRED UP!
LEADERSHIP & TACTICS
FIRE SERVICE TRAINING SEMINAR
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7TH, 2024
8AM DOORS OPEN - 9AM FULL DAY TRAINING BEGINS
WAPPINGERS JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
30 MAJOR MCDONALD WAY, TOWN OF WAPPINGER
CHIMNEY FIRE SAFETY
PREVENTION THROUGH EDUCATION
Chimney Maintenance for Wood Burning Appliances
Chimneys are one or the most common locations of residential structure fires in New York State.The Chimney Safety Institute of America reports that creosote accumulation is the leading cause of chimney fires. A chimney that is dirty, blocked, or is in disrepair can inhibit proper venting of smoke up the flue and can also cause a chimney fire.
Nearly all residential fires originating In the chimney are preventable.
An annual chimney inspection by a qualified chimney sweep can prevent fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. To keep your home safe from chimney fires, follow these guidelines.
1. Maintenance
Good maintenance is a very important step in preventing chimney fires!
• Have your chimney checked every year by a qualified chimney professional
• Burn only well seasoned hardwoods
• Install a chimney cap
• Install a carbon monoxide detector
• Have your chimney sweep ensure that your chimney has an appropriate liner
• Following a violent storm, earthquake, flood, or lightening strike, have your chimney inspected for damage - inside and out ..
2. Prevention
Remember prevention Is your best defense against fire. If you have a wood or coal stove, be sure It ls installed at least 36 inches away from the wall. Keep combustible materials well away from the stove and chimney connector. Place an approved stove board under the unit to protect the floor from heat and hot coals which might drop out.
3. Be Prepared
Know what to do in case of fire. If you suspect a chimney fire, evacuate your home and call 9-1-1.
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