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New Rochelle City Manager Wilfredo Melendez 

Dear Neighbors,

It’s hard to believe we’re already three months into 2026. While many workplaces ease into the year, our staff at City Hall has hit the ground running responding to emergencies and setting up the work to be done in the coming months.

Late January brought Winter Storm Fern, which dumped more than 10 inches of snow on our City. The largest snowfall our City has seen in almost a decade. Following Winter Storm Fern, City crews worked tirelessly to restore normal conditions throughout New Rochelle. Our Department of Public Works teams have spent much of February traveling around the city to remove snow from roadways, particularly around schools and other high-traffic areas, to ensure safe passage for residents, students, families, and first responders. Cleanup efforts were made more challenging by the extreme cold temperatures we experienced throughout the month, which prevented snow and ice from melting and required sustained, hands-on removal.

As many households also felt the impact of prolonged cold weather through higher heating costs, assistance programs are available to help residents manage their Con Edison bills, including New York State’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and Con Edison’s payment plans and energy affordability options. I encourage anyone facing financial hardship to explore these resources on Con Edison’s website or by calling 1-800-752-6633. Supporting our community through difficult winter conditions remains a top priority.

Last month, I presented my 2026 Workplan to City Council. The Work Plan serves as a roadmap of our strategic priorities and goals, as identified[CT1.1] in the 2026 Budget, along with Council priorities and department operations broken down into five key pillars: 

• Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

• Resilient Infrastructure

• Environmental Sustainability and Stewardship

• Economic Development, Opportunity, Prosperity and Growth

• Community Building

Some of the highlights of this year’s Work Plan include the development and implementation of a Local Safety Action Plan (LSAP), a citywide program aimed at making safe streets for all, drainage improvements along the Quaker Ridge Road corridor, a stairwell replacement at the Pinebrook Tennis Center, as well as a once-in-a-generation investment into improvements at Ward Acres Park. This Work Plan builds on the ongoing work from out departments and is focused on improving and enhancing the quality of life for New Rochelle residents for years to come.

And following a winter weather-related delay, the City of New Rochelle will kick off the Third Annual Skate @ Lincoln from March 30 to April 4. The Spring Break event will transform the Lincoln Park basketball courts into a festive skating rink. Skate @ Lincoln will run daily from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., offering residents and visitors a week of free, family-friendly fun. The event features complimentary skate rentals, music to keep the energy high, and free hot chocolate for the first 100 visitors each day.

And as our work continues, I want to remind you of all the ways to connect with City Hall. You can sign up for our NewRo Alert system at www.newrochelleny.gov/newroalert to receive calls, texts and/or email updates. The MobileNR app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store,  is also a great tool to let us know about any non-emergency concerns in your neighborhood. We’ve also just completed an upgrade to our City website at NewRochelleNY.Gov, featuring a cleaner layout that’s more friendly for mobile-users  And, as always, you can also look to our City social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and X. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. As always, your feedback and engagement help shape our efforts, and I encourage all residents to reach out to my office with any questions, comments or suggestions.