Home

Dear North Salem Police, Highway and Fire:

As you may be aware, the Improvement Society has decided to retire this year; however, our work carries on.

Over the past two decades there has been a decline in membership but more importantly, a decline in the number of volunteers willing to serve on our board.  The few remaining have carried on tirelessly (with all your help), but with the overlap of undertakings, particularly with the Town’s Conservation Advisory Council, Climate Smart Committee and even the Open Land Foundation, we all thought it best to ‘merge’ and have others carry the torch.

Our wonderful Christmas Eve event will be taken over by the Historical Society while all the roadside clean-up and recycling will be taken over by the CAC.  We are confident that those two organizations will seamlessly take over the various responsibilities that have defined the Improvement Society for the past 94 years.

We trust that you will continue to work with the Historical Society when it comes to the annual Tree Lighting event and Highway with the CAC when it comes to the annual roadside cleanup.  We couldn’t have done it without you and neither can they.  We are tremendously grateful for all that you have done over the years to make the event one of the highlights of the year for the Town of North Salem.

To our Police:  The North Salem police have stood in the cold year after year making sure that cars move along past the site and families with children of all ages safely walk to the tree event.  It’s a cold and sometimes dreary job but we needed you and so did the town-folks.  Thank You.  

To our Highway: For years you have strung the lights on our growing trees, made sure the timers worked, Santa’s bench was ready for him and the site neatly maintained for all to gather on Christmas Eve.  And whenever we called for a little ‘favor’ to fix or repair something at the site, you were there.  Thank you.  Each year the tree gets bigger, and the lights more plentiful, providing an awesome Christmas Eve setting for all celebrating a precious community event.  Carry on!

And each year you drive around town picking up the bright orange bags filled with roadside litter and the occasional ‘car parts’ left by the side of the road (even mattresses).  And when we call in October or January you also go out and ‘clean up’ what we have reported.  Thank you!

To our Firemen: Santa’s arrival atop the Croton Falls Fire Department truck is one of the most spectacular sights.  While we haven’t seen him on the very top in recent years, the impact of the blazing truck bringing him to the tree is so appreciated by all.  As the crowds got bigger over the years Santa has stayed a bit longer and we are ever more grateful to the volunteer who drove Santa to and from the site.  We know it is a lot to give up on Christmas Eve.  And the bonfire!  Commissioner Bob has arranged for its arrival, setup and blaze for years (and extinguishing it after all have left) and you brought a comfort level to all of us by taking care of one of the most important features of the night.  Thanks, Bob; please say you will continue!

While some of you are ‘on duty,’ all of you are part of the great volunteer network that has made our town such a special place.  We know that our “Thank You” is simply that, a thank you, but the best part about our volunteers is that you never ask for more than that.  

Even so, please enjoy this ‘care package’ that the trustees have put together for you to share with your fellow policemen, highwaymen and firemen this holiday season.

One final wish - will we ever see Flying Reindeer atop the fire truck!  With all the artists in our town maybe we will pull that off one year and present you with a team of reindeers that can be affixed atop the truck.  Dream on, but....”The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,” Eleanor Rosevelt.

May all your holidays be filled with joy!

Amy Post and Cynthia Curtis, co-presidents

Gail Pantezzi, past president

Chrissanth Gross, secretary

Paul McCabe

Susan Moyer

Lulu Pelosi

Dania Rusanov

Edris Scherer

Dear Members of the North Salem Improvement Society,

After a great deal of thoughtful consideration, the trustees and officers of Improvement Society have decided that the time has come for the NSIS to reconsider being a stand alone organization and to hand over our few remaining community ‘improvements’ to other organizations.  

So many of the environmental programs that we embrace and promote are duplicated by other organizations like the town’s Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) and Climate Smart Committee and even the North Salem Open Land Foundation.  To that end we asked the CAC to carry on all the good programs that we started like electronic recycling and roadside clean-up and they agreed.

As for our beloved Christmas Eve event, we have asked the North Salem Historical Society (NSHS) if they would consider us merging with them as a special committee of NSHS for the continuation of this event and they have agreed.  It is worth noting that the NSHS was originally established by the Improvement Society, and in many ways this transition brings things full circle. The Historical Society, with help from a group of our trustees through a transition period, will carry forward this wonderful tradition.

With these two commitments we anticipate everything will continue as usual, just with different  organizations leading the way (and some of the same familiar faces!).  This decision was not made lightly, but reflects a growing trend among community organizations to combine efforts and better serve our town through shared resources and unified missions.

We want to assure you that key NSIS traditions will continue – the annual Christmas Eve town-wide Celebration will live on, coordinated by a dedicated subcommittee of former NSIS members. Additionally, the Conservation Advisory Council will assume responsibility for our annual roadside cleanup—an event that has become a hallmark of community spirit.

At our meeting of June 30, 2025 the trustees voted to disband the society.  See a copy of our resoultion attached.  This was a difficult decision, especially following the recent and deeply felt loss of two of our most devoted directors. Their passing, along with changes in community dynamics and volunteer capacity, prompted us to reflect on the most sustainable and meaningful way forward.

We are deeply grateful for your support and participation over the years. The NSIS legacy will continue through the Historical Society, who will become the entrusted owners of 94 years of our Minutes, Agendas and Records.  Some of us have been pouring over those records to prepare a “history” of this organization in preparation of a “celebration” and “remembrance” of our years of community work.  We are pleased to let you know that the Historical Society will be saluting the Improvement Society at their annual meeting on Friday, October 24.  Once the details on time and location are set, we will send you notifications.

We encourage you to stay involved as this new chapter begins.

With appreciation and warm regards,

Amy Post Scurlock (co-president), Cynthia Curtis (co-president and treasurer), Chrissanth Gross (recording secretary), Paul McCabe, Susan Baum Moyer, Gail Pantezzi, Lulu Pelosi, Dania Rusanov and Edris Scherer

The Trustees of the North Salem Improvement Society

2025 GOAL - ALL ROADSIDES CLEARED OF LITTER BY EARTH DAY!

We did it...!

With the help of

the Town Conservation Advisory Council and the Climate Smart Committee

BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S NEVER OVER.

IF YOU WISH TO CONTINUE TO "CLEAN THE ROADSIDES" WE ALWAYS HAVE A SUPPLY OF BAGS FOR YOU TO USE

THANK YOU

We now have a bin for Batteries and another one for holiday String Lights at the Town E-Waste bin.

Stop by the Town Clerk's office for the key.

See our ReDuce, ReUse, ReCycle page for what's acceptable and what's not.

WHEEERRREEE'S the Bench?

Years ago we purchased two identical benches for the North Salem Holiday Tree site for community and Santa use.  A few years ago one fell into disrepair, the castiron side broke, and the highway department carted it away.  They actually tried to fix it for us but to no avail.   We had parts and pieces to another bench, not quite the same but close enough, and master carpenter Peter Scurlock and his son Aaron spent hours powder-coating the cast iron, cutting new slats, and finishing a beautiful new bench just in time for Xmas Eve 2021.

While putting up the trees in 2022 we noticed the bench was gone!  Unbelieveable.  It weighed about 300 lbs.  No one ever returned it.  A sad day for North Salem; a sad day for all.  

We were thrilled with the number of new residents and members who joined us on Sunday, March 26, 2023 at the beautiful home of one of our directors, Chrissanth Greene-Gross.  It was a time to introduce ourselves to new folks who have moved into town, to reconnect with friends and neighbors, to hear a little about us and what we strive to do for our lovely town.  

WHAT DO I DO WITH ??

To find out more about what to do with your unwanted items and waste materials, please go to our Reduce Reuse Recycle page.  Learn what you can recycle weekly through the town's contract.  See what is accepted at the town's E-Waste Recycle Bin.  Find new places to donate gently used items you no longer want.  Finally, what about all the items the town does not recycle?  There are some tips on more recycling places.  But first, sometimes it may be best to simply

Choose not to purchase products wrapped in plastic

Wash and reuse the plastic you already have

Carry reusable shopping bags with you at all times.

North Salem Improvement Society, P O Box 209, North Salem, New York  10560

northsalemimprovementsociety@gmail.com