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Climate Smart Communities Certification Report

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bronze Certified

This is the Climate Smart Communities Certification Report of Montour Falls, Village (Schuyler). Montour Falls, Village (Schuyler) is a bronze certified Climate Smart Community.

Montour Falls, Village (Schuyler) was certified on September 26, 2019 with 123 points earned from 23 completed actions. Listed below is information regarding Montour Falls, Village (Schuyler)’s Climate Smart Communities efforts and materials associated with its certified actions.

The certification for Montour Falls, Village (Schuyler) will expire on September 30, 2024.

Contact Information

The designated Climate Smart Communities contact for Montour Falls, Village (Schuyler) is:

Name:James Ryan
Title/Position:Mayor / n/a
Address:412 W. Main Street
Montour Falls, NY 14865

Actions Implemented

Each approved action and supporting documentation for which Montour Falls, Village (Schuyler) was approved for in 2019 appears below. Note: Standards for the actions below may have changed and the documentation listed may no longer satisfy requirements for that action.

  • 1. Build a climate-smart community.

    PE1 Action: CSC Task Force

    20 Points
    Bronze Mandatory Silver Mandatory

    Program Summary: Attached are the Meeting Minutes from the official Village of Montour Falls Sustainability Committee meetings held on June 5, 2019 and June 19, 2019. Also attached is an excerpt from the Village Board minutes of July 18, 2018, authorizing the Mayor to create a Sustainability Committee to manage CSC action item projects and tasks, manage the ongoing NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities projects, and track progress on sustainability initiatives. Also attached is the CSC Pledge Resolution passed by the Village Board on June 21, 2018.

    PE1 Action: CSC Coordinator

    10 Points
    Bronze Mandatory Silver Mandatory

    Program Summary: Attached is an Executive Order from the Mayor of Montour Falls establishing the Sustainability Committee and naming Deputy Mayor Jim Ryan as Chair of that Committee. Mayor John King sat on the committee for the first two meetings to ensure at least one resident was on the committee. However, thanks to a large turnout from residents and representatives of local businesses, the resident component is considered filled.

    PE1 Action: National/Regional Climate Program

    3 Points

    Program Summary: The Village of Montour Falls participated in four high-impact action items from the NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities program in Q1-Q2 2018. Attached is an email documenting the Village receiving a grant award for their designation as a CEC in May 2018. The Village is continuing to participating in CEC by executing a contract with NYSEG to replace all streetlight bulbs with LED's (the Village has paid NYSEG but the project has not been assigned a start date by NYSEG), and exploring a 100% renewable mix for its existing MEGA CCA.

    PE1 Action: Partnerships with Other Entities

    3 Points

    Program Summary: The Village of Montour Falls has engaged several other entities in order to prepare materials for the CSC Certification Submission Package, and in order to most effectively serve sustainability goals within the Village. The attached documents reflect Montour Falls' collaboration with: CCE Schuyler County's Regional CEEP Community Energy Advisor for the purpose of developing an Energy Reduction Campaign Paleontological Research Institute's Dr. Ingrid Zabel for the purpose of using New York State Climate Clearinghouse resources to develop a Climate Vulnerability Assessment

  • 2. Inventory emissions, set goals, and plan for climate action.

    PE2 Action: Government Operations GHG Inventory

    16 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: This Government Operations Greenhouse Gas Inventory was compiled by Cornell Cooperative Extension on behalf of the Village of Montour Falls in April 2019. It compares 2013 and 2018 GHG emissions by emissions source. The inventory report is available online at the following website: https://www.villageofmontourfalls.com/reports-and-actions.html

  • 3. Decrease energy use.

    PE3 Action: Interior Lighting Upgrades

    4 Points

    Program Summary: The attached email shows the square footage breakdown for the Village-owned buildings, and the attached PDFs show the LED upgrades done to the Village Fire Station by contractor Lime Energy on December 14, 2014. The Fire Station accounts for 55% of the total municipal floor space and is one of three municipal owned and operated buildings. The Fire Station is 11,154 sqft, the Village Hall is 7,252 sqft, and the DPW garage is 1,863 sqft.

    PE3 Action: Benchmarking - Municipal Buildings

    4 Points

    Program Summary: The Village of Montour Falls undertook Benchmarking of Government Buildings as part of its designation process as a NYSERDA Clean Energy Community. The benchmarking report is hosted on the Village climate and sustainability website at villageofmontourfalls.com/sustainability.

    PE3 Action: Fleet Inventory

    4 Points

    Program Summary: Please find attached a complete Fleet Inventory for the Village of Montour Falls, generated in April/May 2019. The headings on the spreadsheet cover the minimum bulleted categories as they appear on the Climate Smart Communities PE3 Action, section B. MPG ratings are not typically stated by the manufacturers for vehicles exceeding ½ ton rating, and does not include the “construction” equipment (loaders, backhoes, turf maintenance equipment, etc.); therefore, this data is included only where available. The Village intends to more closely track miles/usage and fuel consumption monthly and annually, which will aid in the calculation of MPG/fuel ratings. Purchasing and vehicle replacement for the Montour Falls fleet is evaluated annually during the budget process, or as needed as a result of normal wear-and-tear and maintenance needs, or as a result of emergent circumstances such as machine failure. General replacement schedule includes fire apparatus on a 15-20 year basis, pick-up and Utility trucks on an 10-15 year basis. The vehicle fleet record is maintained by the Village DPW, and efforts are being made to better track fleet vehicle information, including by looking into fleet management software. The Fleet Inventory is to be updated annually per the Fleet Efficiency Policy, and so contains empty cells that will be completed in May 2020.

    PE3 Action: Outdoor Lighting Reduction

    1 Points

    Program Summary: The Village of Montour Falls has undertaken to include both the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council guidance on LED Street Light installation and the International Dark Sky Alliance's guidance on outdoor LED lighting installation. Both are attached here. The Village has been converting its municipal-owned street lights to LEDs by working with NYSEG. Also included is a selected portion of the CEC Grant Award contract as executed by the Village detailing a reduction in the outdoor lighting, which includes conversion of High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Mercury-Vapor Lamps to LED lamps at appropriate wattage and warmth. These will employ photocells rather than static timers, as outlined in the Lime Energy Lighting Audit, which is also attached, in order to achieve even further reduce energy use and the time that outdoor lighting is active.

    PE3 Action: Outdoor Lighting Upgrades

    4 Points

    Program Summary: All bulbs at all service addresses were replaced as per the lime energy lighting audit inventory (attached), except for the 5 bulbs located at service address 124 Marina Rd, Montour Falls, as the Sewer Plant will be decommissioned as of November 2019. The Village decided it would not be cost effective to install a 20-year bulb on a fixture that will be decommissioned so soon. Attached are the signed receipts indicating bulb purchase for conversion.

    PE3 Action: Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy

    3 Points

    Program Summary: This Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy includes stipulations for 3 of the 4 items described in the CSC guidance: Energy Efficiency of Appliances Recycled Materials Locally Produced and Sourced Goods In addition, the policy outlines guidance for all purchases, including those for which the Village must follow bidding procedure, by which the Village can forego the "lowest responsible offer" in favor of purchases that are found to be more environmentally preferable. The policy as passed and the Board Meetings Minutes are attached.

    PE3 Action: Energy Code Enforcement Training

    5 Points

    Program Summary: The Village of Montour Falls Code Officer attended an Energy Code Enforcement training in Spring 2018 as part of the Village's designation process as a Clean Energy Community.

  • 4. Shift to clean, renewable energy.

    PE4 Action: Green Power Procurement Policy

    4 Points

    Program Summary: This policy, passed on June 20, 2019, outlines the Village's goals and timeline for renewable adoption into government operations, as well as lays out several potential pathways, including exploratory cost-benefit analyses, for achieving those goals. The stated goal is 100% renewable adoption by 2050. No interim goal was selected to offer flexibility in the face of the Village's comparatively tight budgetary realities. The policy as passed and the relevant Board Meeting Minutes are attached.

  • 5. Use climate-smart materials management.

    PE5 Action: Construction & Demolition Waste Policy

    2 Points

    Program Summary: The attached Construction and Demolition Waste Policy accomplishes the following policy goals: It requires, by law, at least 25% of construction and demolition waste to be diverted from landfills to appropriate reuse and recycling centers. It amends the Building and Demolition Permits to reflect this. It amends the Demolition Permit Fee Schedule to provide an economic incentive to provide for increased diversion to recycling and reuse centers above what is required by law. It lays out internal policies for the DPW for handling the disposal, recycling and reuse of waste materials created in the normal course of operations.

  • 6. Implement climate-smart land use.

    PE6 Action: Unified Solar Permit

    5 Points

    Program Summary: The Unified Solar Permit was adopted by the Village of Montour Falls in 2018. The Permit has been in use since then. Attached are the resolution, passed by the Village Board, and the Permit currently in use within the Village.

    PE6 Action: Complete Streets Policy

    4 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: The following Complete Streets policy was passed by the Village Board on June 6, 2019. Complete Streets ideas were subsequently adopted by the Village Planning Board into the forthcoming Comprehensive Plan.

    PE6 Action: Alternative-fuel Infrastructure

    6 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: This Excel document details the Village's installation of an EV Charger in the public parking lot near the Pocket Park on Main Street. The EV Charger carries a small fee, but is available for public use.

    PE6 Action: Natural Resources Inventory

    8 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: The natural resources inventory was completed in Spring 2019 via collaboration between the Village, the Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the Cornell University Water Resources Institute.

  • 8. Support a green innovation economy.

    PE8 Action: Farmers’ Markets

    3 Points

    Program Summary: Attached are four documents: A summary of the Village Board Meeting Minutes reflecting the electrification of the park on West Main Street for the purpose of providing Village electricity to public events (here the annual Harvest Festival), most notably the Farmers Market, held weekly in the park. The document also contains the relevant section of the Montour Falls Sustainability Committee public engagement guidance document dealing with the promotion of the Farmer's Market and its commitment to Local Goods. There is also a picture of the Pocket Park that shows the pavilion (donated primarily for use by the Farmer's Market), the electrified plugs, and a sign advertising the Farmer's Market, as well as a picture of the Market underway. Also attached is a summary of notes from a meeting including the Village, the county economic development organization for Schuyler County (SCOPED), the Montour Falls Library (which oversees the Farmers Market), and other community members and partners. The meeting minutes and action summary, from January 2019, are from an ongoing process between the Village, the Farmers Market, community members, and SCOPED to explore the possibility of developing a local foods cooperative in order to increase local access to fresh produce. While the Village does not grant special use privileges to the Farmers Market, it did undertake to install the plugs and electrify the park in part because the viability of the Farmers Market. SNAP and point-of-sale systems used by vendors and the Market require electricity to run, as do certain of the musical acts who perform on Market days. The Village of Montour Falls is in the process of figuring out their ability to support the Market further, but Sustainable Montour Falls, which is the brand umbrella for the Village Sustainability Committee will begin to boost the Farmers Market using the social media and online tools at its disposal. The Village Board and the Sustainability Committee agree on the value of the Farmers Market, and agree on the important role it plays in promoting local goods and produce, and both bodies are taking steps to support and improve this community resource. While the status of the Village Local Foods Co-Op is still in flux, the Village has been working with community partners to explore options for its development.

  • 9. Inform and inspire the public.

    PE9 Action: Energy Reduction Campaign

    5 Points

    Program Summary: The Village has supported, endorsed, and undertaken to implement an Energy Reduction Campaign. Attached are the resolution calling for the creation of a campaign, passed on May 16, 2019, the Board Meeting Minutes detailing the presentation of Phillip Cherry, the NYSERDA CEEP Community Energy Advisor, on June 6, 2019, and the guidance document adopted by the campaign. Attached is correspondence between the CEEP Community Energy Advisor and the Farmers Market Director reserving tabling space for 7/18/2019 for a community outreach event.

    PE9 Action: Climate-related Public Events

    3 Points

    Program Summary: Attached are the Village Board meeting minutes from June 20th, 2019, at which Ingrid Zabel presented the findings of her climate vulnerability research. The research was presented in a public setting and designed to inform the Board and the public about the effects of climate change on the local landscape.

    PE9 Action: Local Climate Action Website

    3 Points

    Program Summary: The master page for the Montour Falls Sustainability Committee can be found here: villageofmontourfalls.com/sustainability For a summary of local actions: https://www.villageofmontourfalls.com/reports-and-actions.html For a summary of steps residents can take to reduce energy use and GHG emissions: https://www.villageofmontourfalls.com/sustainablemontourfalls.html And to get involved, sign up for the mailing list, or receive more information about sustainability ventures in the Village: https://www.villageofmontourfalls.com/contact-us.html

    PE9 Action: Social Media

    3 Points

    Program Summary: twitter.com/SustainableVMF https://www.facebook.com/Village-of-Montour-Falls-378255778889739/ Sustainable Montour Falls, the brand umbrella for the Village Sustainability Committee, manages a twitter account for the promotion of sustainability-related content, and the Village Facebook is being engaged to share content as well as related public events that promote the Village's sustainability goals.

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