Good evening and thank you for uh joining us at today's uh June 2nd, 2026 town board meeting.

If we could all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

And Councilman Gilbert, as we're coming up on D Day, and I know your uh your father served in World War II.

Would you lead us?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

We could have a moment in silence.

As I said, we're coming up on the 82nd anniversary of uh Operation Overlord, the uh Normandy invasions on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Uh as we remember all of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Thank you.

Introductions to my right.

Good evening, Diana Quest Town Claire.

Good evening, Patrick Murphy, town councilman.

Supervisor Ed Lacterman.

Deputy Supervisor Sergio Esposito.

Ilon Gilbert, Councilman.

Adam Rodriguez, Town Attorney.

All right.

Um just a few things to go over for the uh for my report to the town.

Uh we had our round table discussion at the library on uh May 28th to discuss the EMS services uh a little further and the uh in particular going out for an RFP for uh the basically the best way to handle things and do a study on it uh and get and get some different feedback.

Uh we want to open up the scope of the of the RFP, not limit it.

We want them to be able to look at anything and everything to make sure uh first and foremost that we are able to provide the level of service that we'd like to provide for our residents uh and make sure that uh we could continue to do so uh by but whether it's volunteerism, hiring, uh hybrid, which we're at now, but changing those percentages and uh what the town uh will need to look at to make it all viable.

So uh today we will be voting later for the RFP, uh so we can move on that study.

And uh as I said uh at the meeting that day, but I'll repeat now.

Uh I think that it's imperative that we look at every opportunity that's out there, uh, whether we feel they're good or not, but go in when we have the discussion when the study comes back uh with open minds to say, hey, where are we?

What do we need to do?

Because uh we have uh a very very dedicated group of volunteers that are getting stretched extremely thin on the amount of calls uh that we're answering each uh each year.

Uh and especially with the uh decrease in volunteerism, not because of spirit, but because of availability.

Um I want to thank uh all who participated in remembering those that have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country at our different events uh this past Memorial Day.

Uh we had uh quite a turnout.

Uh we were very fortunate.

Uh we had three different ceremonies plus a parade.

We had zero rain.

I hear a lot of communities around us were not as blessed.

Uh they had rain throughout.

And uh, you know, the Lord smiled down, uh, I guess for the uh for the service of those from Yorktown.

Uh but um it was uh it was very uh very meaningful and profound for my wife and I uh for this year in particular.

Uh we went down for our fourth time on the Hudson Valley honor flight, and a lot of the veterans there were Vietnam veterans, Vietnam era.

Uh matter of fact, I think about 95% of the veterans on the flight.

And um, you know, it's it's something to see them get their uh their recognition that that they're due after all these years to see people walk up to them, welcome them home, thank them for their service.

There were people from as far away that I met as England who came with signs and were standing at the World War II memorial welcoming the busloads of veterans that come in.

And it was uh it was quite uh quite impressive and quite touching but nothing uh was as uh strong as going to the Vietnam War wall with the there were five Yorktown veterans and going with all of them to that wall and seeing them uh you know pay respect to those they left behind on the battlefield and uh some uh well actually John Lancey my uh my veteran for the trip uh had gotten a couple of etchings done of people that he knew that that uh he fought with that did not make it back uh you could get their names etched onto a paper uh it was uh it was very uh very touching very meaningful and uh I just want to thank uh those veterans not only for their service but for sharing that day uh with one of the strong points of being a uh guardian on the honor flight um as we talk about uh you know battles and and and wars and things we will actually be celebrating this weekend uh the Roshambo festival at the Grange fairgrounds uh uh General Rashanbeau came through uh Yorktown on his march down to Yorktown Virginia for one of the uh one of the pivotal battles uh or the pivotal battle of the Revolutionary War that that actually ended the war uh and then came back up through uh Yorktown again and camped here twice uh and one of the encampments is at the actual uh Grange grounds so uh we do celebrate that I thank the uh Lynn Briggs and the Yorktown Heritage and Preservation Commission for putting this on each year I highly recommend the trip to it it's very very uh educational they have people doing uh doing reenactments uh the the French general consult for the U.S.

will be there I believe on Tuesday on a Sunday uh Saturday night they have a uh a colonial style dinner so there are a lot of great things that go on with it so if you have time you could go right on our uh town website look it up get some great information and uh uh really really uh a a fun way to celebrate and get through the uh you know get get through to our kids about the history of the area and actually get through to some of the adults too because some of us don't know a lot of the history of Yorktown and and uh what we meant to the Revolutionary war uh and then uh finally uh I had gone by to take a look at our uh uh half day camp that uh we have a new site this year over at Elizabeth Elizabeth and Seton Church and stumbled upon the fact that they are doing their uh annual uh tag sale to raise money for the church uh they do it this Friday Saturday Sunday with Friday being a day you could pay to go in early ten dollars a person and get first pick of things and then this Saturday Sunday and next Saturday and Sunday from 9.30 to 3 on Saturday and 9.30 to 2 on Sundays you could go to their uh to their church they have it in the gymnasium and there's some really great things some great finds uh and uh they do take donations if you want to donate which I'm I I know Carol will be having me run over a car load or two of things out of out of my stuff that she wants me to get rid of but uh really uh a great great uh uh sale uh more from the camaraderie and and talking to the people and walking around but also some great finds there so go check it out and if you have anything uh I think they're taking donations again tomorrow and then they start next week on uh Monday Tuesday Wednesday for more donations for the second weekend so you could go both weekends too and find some good stuff all right thank you Lonnie yeah I um time marches on um it's very strange that uh I have as when I was probably about ten years old I have a recollection during Memorial Day believe it or not uh of uh uh there being individuals who are a hundred years old who were veterans of the Civil War that's hard to believe but it it actually was the case and um and now we uh we honor those uh uh each generation now we honored uh you know we're honoring uh World War II and um and then Korea and then uh Vietnam the modern age uh wars that we've been facing now and the war on terror.

And uh when we uh celebrated or at least uh commemorated uh the Vietnam memorial over at uh the Lakeland High School at that event, the observance.

Uh Ed you noted that this he it was actually installed by Tommy's uh uh graduating class.

Yep.

And uh and then I noticed that the Shrub Oak Memorial when we were looking at the uh uh the World War II, uh at least five Diana's on that memorial.

Actually there were two Gilberts, but I I think there is no direct uh uh connection or relation.

But I did notice that one of the Dianas was a woman on there.

Which I didn't realize over the years.

Yeah, but it's it's all you know, it's so important to uh to to keep these observances uh uh you know in our hearts.

And um and after that we then part we took part in uh real life for life, which occurred and it was uh uh uh uh a very good uh um uh not as big a turnout as in years past, but it was it still accomplished what it needs to accomplish and it brings this community together.

And then uh the other day or yesterday, uh took part in the the golf outing.

Um uh on actually I have to thank Diana Quest who uh invited me to uh attend along with her uh with her husband uh Walter.

Um and we that was again another uh great great um uh event and a great organization.

Uh and I just think people really need the support connection.

Yeah.

What did I say?

You didn't say I didn't say it was the support connection.

It was wonderful.