Clean Energy Community News

High Impact Actions Completed (2,700 points earned)

Benchmarking, Buildings and Facilities, Clean Fleets, Community Engagement and Training, LED Street Lights, Legislation and Regulation.

Energy Champion

Mary Ann Eddy has been the Sag Harbor Climate Smart Communities Coordinator since 2021 and led the Village's drive to achieve certified Bronze Level status in April. Her efforts have led to the submission of the community's applications for three designation grants totaling $75,000 that will fund a small solar array on the roof of the water treatment plant.

Next, Mary Ann is organizing an ASHRAE audit of energy use in Village Hall and building a strategy to reduce building energy use.▪️

Clean Energy Coordinators, below from left: Sarah Oral, David Tepper, Andrew Manitt

High Impact Actions Completed (3,000 points earned):

Benchmarking, Clean Energy Upgrades, Clean Fleets, Climate Smart Communities Certification, Community Campaigns-Community Solar, Energy Code Enforcement Training, LED Street Lights, Transportation and Landscaping, Unified Solar Permit.

A recently Certified Climate Smart Community, the Town of Aurora was a leader in the initial version of the CEC program and received a $450,000 grant. They've now embraced the most recent version of the program, launched a community solar campaign with PowerMarket and are promoting it on CleanGreenAurora.com. With this latest action, the Town has hit 3,000 points and has earned a milestone two-star designation in the CEC program.

In a move that looks to the future, two mandatory voting positions on the City's Climate Smart Task Force go to high school students. These young people are encouraged to become full time members once they're in college and to recruit others their age to serve on the committee. Notable town Climate Smart volunteers include Climy (at left),Sharon Bachman, Councilmember Joe McCann, Claudia Newton and Sue Russell.

Deputy Mayor Luke Wochensky offers this advice to other communities: "Being a Bronze CSC was a huge advantage with the NY Forward competition, in which Aurora is part of a group of rural communities that were awarded $4.5M." ▪️

Clean Energy Coordinators, from left: Jason Kulaszewski and Josh McClain

High Impact Actions (HIAs) Completed (3,000 points earned): 

Benchmarking, Community Campaigns, County Hosted Training, Energy Code Enforcement Training, Transportation and Landscaping, Unified Solar Permit.

Energy Champions

Chenango County is a veteran of the earliest days of the CEC program, dating its initial participation back to 2018.  The CEC Program allowed the County to upgrade failing infrastructure and promote the benefits of energy efficiency, says Allison Yacano, Planner. In late May, the County officially hit the 3,000 point threshold. The County plans to use the funding to purchase three electric vehicles including one for the Chenango County Area Agency on Aging. Meals are delivered via the County's Public Transit System buses. Usiing electric vehicles will not only lower greenhouse gas emissions, but it will also reach those who are in a Disadvantaged Community in the City of Norwich.

"We believe that utilizing the Designation Grant funding for this program will impact our community in the best way possible," says Ms. Yacano. The Chenango County Board of Supervisors is always willing to work with the County to complete actions as quickly and efficiently as possible, she noted. "As funding comes in, it is very easy to complete additional actions using those funds. The more actions you complete, the more of a 'domino effect' you will have throughout the program," she says.▪️

Clean Energy Coordinators, from left: Kristina Zill, Michael Brown, J. Christopher Skawski

High Impact Actions Completed (5,800 points earned):

Benchmarking, Building and Facilities, Clean Fleets, Climate Smart Communities Certification, Community Campaigns, Community Choice Aggregation, Community Engagement and Training, Energy Code Enforcement Training, LED Street Lights.

Energy Champions

Brighton strives to lead by example on both climate concerns and financial prudence,   tapping state assistance to reduce the capital cost of achieving long term reductions in energy expenditures, says Town Supervisor Bill Moehle (at right). When Brighton is finished with its current phase of CEC-funded installations (planned are four rooftop solar arrays and one geothermal conversion), the Town will be saving nearly $20,000 per year in propane, oil, and electricity costs. These projects combined will amount to a nearly 10% reduction in the Town’s total greenhouse gas footprint and nearly every park in the Town will have at least one visible solar array to help promote sustainability.

The best parts of the program are the guidance and the match-free, streamlined grants, says Brendan Ryan, Assistant Engineer. "It is a big benefit to busy municipalities to have a grant and a short list of project types that are essentially ‘pre-approved’ so that the municipality can make concrete plans on projects that are sure to get approved." 

In addition to Supervisor Moehle, current and past Brighton Town Board members (Robin Wilt, Christine Corrado, Chris Werner, Nate Salzman,  and Jason Diponzio) and the Town’s Sustainability Oversight Committee have been instrumental in their support of pursuing the completion of HIAs and funding the current projects and grant-related ancillary costs.▪️

Finger Lakes Clean Energy Communities Coordinator: 

Rob Richardson, rrichardson@gflrpc.org

Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council 

50 West Main Street, Suite 8107  Rochester, New York 14614 

(585) 454-0190 x21

High Impact Actions (3,800 points earned):

Bench-marking, Building and Facilities, Community Campaigns, Energy Code Enforcement Training; LED Street Lights; Transportation and Landscaping, Unified Solar Permit.

Energy Champion

For more than 20 years, the Town of Clifton Park has been a leader in protecting the environment and engaging newly available initiatives to reduce energy usage. Most recently, the Town has received four CEC 3.0 grant awards totaling $82,500 and is planning to use the funds for heat pumps in the Town Hall. 

The Town’s capped landfill became the site of a large, ground mounted solar field.  As an early adopter of solar project regulations, the Town was asked by New York State to be a member of a state-wide working group to develop the first Unified Solar Permit to enable property owners to add rooftop and ground solar installations.  

The Town was one of the first municipalities to acquire its streetlights and convert to LED technology, notes Supervisor Phil Barrett. Doing so has reduced the Town's fixed costs, significantly reduced energy usage, and improved the quality of its street lighting, he says.   

Also with NYSERDA funding, the Town replaced the lighting in its ice rink and outdoor basketball courts on the Clifton Common. "Providing an enhanced experience for our families and reducing energy usage has made this project a resounding success," says the Supervisor.▪️

High Impact Actions Completed (3,100 points earned):

Benchmarking, Clean Fleets, Community Choice Aggregation, Energy Code Enforcement Training, Transportation and Landscaping, Unified Solar Permit.

Energy Champion

Joe DeWitt is a Councilman on the Town Board and the liaison to departments handling recreation and energy issues. He gives a great deal of credit for the Town's progressive energy agenda to a resident who is an extraordinarily effective volunteer.

"We have EV charging stations thanks to Olga Anderson. We've gotten a lot done because of her," DeWitt said of Ms. Anderson, who chairs the Citizen Environmental Advisory Committee. Currently, town efforts are focused on a Clean Heating and Cooling campaign to aid residents who were impacted by last summer's floods. The Town has completed 10 High Impact Clean Energy Communities Actions and is well on its way towards Bronze Climate Smart Certification. Highlands was the first community in Orange County to adopt Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) for both the Town and the Village of Highland Falls. ▪️

Clean Energy Coordinators, from left: Eleanor Peck and Liz Sun

High Impact Actions Completed   (3,400 points earned):

Benchmarking, Buildings and Facilities, Clean Energy Upgrades, Clean Fleets, Community Campaigns, Energy Code Enforcement Training, LED Street Lights, Transportation and Landscaping, Unified Solar Permit.

Energy Champion

For Village Trustee Carl Wheat, the CEC grant program has been a very productive experience. "We're a small village; we don't generate much in the way of funds. And now we've received grants for completing Clean Heating and Cooling and Community Solar campaigns, and we're waiting to hear on a two-star grant for an energy study of the Village Fire Hall," says Wheat, who is also the Climate Smart Communities coordinator.

Wheat discovered the Village had commissioned a report that detailed how it could convert to LED lighting and save money.  "Then I learned we'd be eligible for a $50,000 grant if we completed six high-impact actions." 

The Village now is focusing on electric vehicles and building envelope measures including LEDs for the fire hall, village offices and the Department of Public Works.▪️

Clean Energy Coordinators, from left: Amanda Whalen and Samantha Francisco