Street Lighting meeting – Kingston 4/2/15

NOTES ON STREET LIGHTING MTG

KINGSTON 4-2-15

Manna Jo Greene, Chairman of the Climate Smart Committee (Ulster or Kingston?)

Matthew Edge, NYSERDA

Said there’s a NYSERDA Street Lighting Report on line.

— Reduced maintenance,

— Reduced consumption of energy.

Central Hudson has various options for switching over to LED’s.

Up-front financing is high. Recommends sitting down with Central Hudson rep to figure what’s best for us.

  1. A) Cent Hud own and maintain,
  2. B) Cent Hud own and we maintain,
  3. C) We own and we maintain.

Nina Orville, Village of Dobbs Ferry

Took the Climate Smart Pledge in 2009.

Took them 18 months to have their electrician install all LED lights throughout the Village.

Dobbs Ferry saved $100K and reduced greenhouse gases by 40%.

Yonkers followed up on Dobbs Ferry’s example. Brad Tito, Director of Sustainability for Yonkers spoke about project. They had Lumina Lighting Solutionos do the  installations. And they have not enacted mandatory green building standards

(all new constructions or all buildings?).

Jennifer Metzger, on Town Council, Town of Rosendale

Said they had 192 Street lights.

First they did a full assessment of all their lights.

They wanted to decommission those lights they did not need, and wound up eliminating 26. Others they reduced wattage.

Said Cent Hudson was offering FOUR options to convert to LED’s.

Ms Metzger still thinks might be good idea for municipalities to buy their own.

Pat Courtney Strong

Said NYSERDA has money for municipalities, but hasn’t gotten any requests for funding from them. We should all look into the “Existing Facilities Program.”

NYSERDA is looking for projects that could save 250KW hrs per year, and this could also include internal lighting (like Village Hall).

Tivoli should partner with Village of Red Hook and Town of Red Hook, to ensure that we meet this criterion of energy savings on the project. NYSERDA has $30K up to $2 million to give away. Deadline for applying for these monies Dec 31st, but the monies available usually get renewed from year to year.

Think this is the link we should check for NYSERDA monies available for municipalities.

http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/Cleaner-Greener-Communities

OTHER COMMENTS

One fellow said the Lumineer lights are hideous. Too white and too bright.

Another fellow cited one municipality, which he called “Town X,” which made a wrong decision on the type of lighting choice it made, and will have to pay for that decision for years and years.

You can choose a lower wattage/lumens LED light. Many municipalities like the white character of the light because it helps law enforcement identify the color of a perpetrator’s car or clotting.

LED lighting is directional. So evening light pollution is minimized.

Was suggested to put solar-power source on street lighting poles where applicable.

Good idea for towns to piggy-back with others on purchasing.

Bill Cotting, rep from Central Hudson  

Very willing to sit down with municipalities to discuss possibilities.

NYS is offering a “Prize Grid Facility” award. $100K to the best micro-grid island to service intra-communities in time of emergency. Have to submit for award by May 15th.

Notes prepared by Kathy OConnor.

Tivoli Green Committee

Links

4 Things You Should Know About Battery Disposal and the Environment
https://store.intellaliftparts.com/c/battery-disposal-and-the-environment.html

Red Hook Trail Plan
http://redhooktrailplan.weebly.com/

Village of Tivoli Curbside Solid Waste & Recyclable Collection
http://www.tivoliny.org/pdf/GarbageRecycle2012.pdf

Dutchess Division of Solid Waste Management
http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/SolidWasteMgmt/SWindex.htm

Reimagining Highway Services for Red Hook and Tivoli
http://redhook.rondoutconsulting.com/home

Sustainable Hudson Valley
http://sustainhv.org/

How Red Hook became a tree town
http://sustainhv.org/resources/sustainable-communities-cookbook/and-and-waters-red-hook

Mid-Hudson Climate Smart Communities
The Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program
http://www.midhudsoncsc.org/

Resources and Tools of the CSC program
http://www.midhudsoncsc.org/resources.html

Winnakkee Land Trust
http://www.winnakee.org/

Bard Office of Sustainability
http://www.bard.edu/bos/recycling/

Cornell Urban Horticultural Institute – tree inventory
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/uhi/commfor/index.htm

 

Solar conference a success!

 

DSC01752

We counted over 94 people that attended our Solar Conference Tuesday night at the Tivoli Village Hall. It was a great success. The room was packed. The photo above shows the room just before most everyone arrived. There were lots of questions and people felt that this conference “got the ball rolling” toward them getting solar.

The four speakers are listed below with their contact info.

Ayaz Kiani – Solar City
akiani@solarcity.com
518-763-8596

Betsy Ferris Wyman – SunDog Soar
betsy@sundogsolar.net
518-392-4000, x 103

Carlos Newcomb – Hudson Solar
carlos@hudsonsolar.com
866-452-7652 x102

Jeffrey Domanski – NYSERDA
jeff.domanski@courtneystrong.com
646-483-1338

 

Tree inventory

The Tivoli Green Committee located a tree inventory of Tivoli that was done in 2006 by students from Cornell. Although the inventory is old, it is still useful. Click here to see the inventory (pdf)

80 new trees were purchased that year. Click here to see the details (excel)

Read the story here:

Copyright © 2006 Mid-Hudson News Network, a division of Statewide News Network, Inc.
This story may not be reproduced in any form without express written consent.

“S.W.A.T.” team to evaluate Tivoli

Tivoli – This weekend, a specialized unit of professionals dispensed by S.W.A.T. officials will roll into the village to evaluate a major local concern.

It’s not part of a TV reality op show, but rather, Tivoli ’s latest endeavor to protect the environmental master plan for the village. The S.W.A.T. team – or Student Weekend Arborist Team – from Cornell University will help the community and its public and civic officials to evaluate the quality and diversity of its trees.

“Maintaining the beauty and rural atheistic of our community is of the utmost importance to us here in Tivoli ,” said Mayor Marc Molinaro. “The work completed by these Cornell students will provide us with a professional assessment of where we stand now, what we need to do in the future to both protect and improve the plan we currently have.”

Tivoli recently completed the planting of more than 80 new trees within the village, as part of a beautification and traffic abatement program. The inventory completed by the S.W.A.T. team will help to establish a street tree program for the village.

“People underestimate the value of trees in our community,” said Tivoli ’s Deputy Mayor Thomas Cordier. “Trees are not only an important part of our community in terms of rural charm, but help to slow traffic and protect from severe weather.”

The Student Weekend Arborist Team helps small communities to manage their community trees and urban forests. It’s a means by which a small community can affordably get started in a street tree program.

The team works with a community to organize the completion of an inventory of all the street trees within the municipal boundary. The team will gather data on tree species, distribution, health and maintenance needs.

After the inventory is completed the data is used to help formulate a plan to manage trees within the community. After the inventory is completed it is recommended that a qualified, certified arborist evaluate potentially hazardous and/or risk trees in the community.

New bike signs in Tivoli Bays

Green Committee members, Joel and John, set the new bike path signs in Tivoli Bays. The path goes all the way to Bard through some beautiful meadows and forest.

The new signage makes it easy to find your way.

The new signage makes it easy to find your way.

About the Tivoli Community Garden

The Tivoli Community Garden is a  volunteer-run organic garden located in the Tivoli Rec Park (aka Tivoli Memorial Park), started in 2011 by Tivoli’s then-newly formed Green Committee.

The garden provides residents of Tivoli who otherwise cannot have a garden where they live the opportunity to develop their green thumbs, grow vegetables and flowers, and share organic gardening tips and tricks.

The garden has 20 8’x12′ plots: 18 individual plots, one community herb garden/visitor’s pick-your-own, and a plot where our communal table and garden implements are kept.

SIGN-UP FOR GARDEN PLOTS IS DONE ON A FIRST-COME FIRST SERVE BASIS, UNTIL ALL PLOTS ARE FILLED.

There is a $30 plot fee for the season, which goes toward garden maintenance and improvements, and toward supporting other green initiatives of the Village government.

If you’re interested in learning more about the garden or would like to sign up for a plot, please write to tivolicommunitygarden@gmail.com.

September Solar Conference

The Tivoli Solar Energy Conference
September 9, 2014 – 7 PM – Tivoli Village Hall

Join us in Tivoli to hear presentations from three leading solar energy providers in the area plus get information on how you can receive energy grants from NY State. There will be ample opportunity to ask questions. Refreshments served. Free to all.

sudogSunDog Solar is a full-service consultation and installation company offering residential and commercial renewable energy systems, including off-grid and on-grid solar electric systems and hot water systems, throughout the Hudson Valley.  We also install spray foam insulation and manufacture mobile solar power stations.  Our mission is to help our customers improve energy efficiency, reduce energy spending, and increase building performance.  Our factory is 100 % solar powered and carbon neutral!

hudsonsolarHudson Solar is a local, family-owned and operated company that has been in business for over 11 years. We focus exclusively on the design and installation of solar electric technology and have over 1,200 systems installed locally. We install systems for residential, commercial, and agricultural properties throughout New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

At Hudson Solar, we practice what we preach: Our Rhinebeck Headquarters was the first Net-Zero commercial establishment in New York, and our Albany office just went solar, as well. We also have the best team around: We were recently presented with the 2014 Times Union Top Workplace Award, which is an employee survey-based award.

solar cityIf you had the choice between paying more for dirty power or paying less for clean power, what would you do?

SolarCity, the nation’s largest full service solar provider, functioning in 15 states, has asked this question. Due to this, over 100,000 people have made the switch and now benefit from clean energy. If you were presented this option, what would you do? Because we believe that everyone should be able to afford clean energy, we developed a way where one can simply let us install the panels, for as little as no cost, and just pay for the power they produce. If you had the choice to control a portion of your energy requirements for the next 20 years and have clean power, which would you choose; clean energy or dirty energy?

nyserdaThe New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) offers innovative programs, technical expertise, and funding to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels through incentives and low-interest loans.

More information will be posted here and around the Village. Tell your friends. It should be a great event.

Further readings and resources about solar energy:

Here’s now much renewable energy it would take to power the world (PolicyMic, June 17, 2014) http://www.policymic.com/articles/91313/here-s-how-much-renewable-energy-it-would-take-to-power-the-entire-world?utm_source=policymicTWTR&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=social