HomeMy WebLinkAboutCS CEC 2023-08-08Climate Smart/Clean Energy Community Task Force
Minutes of the Tuesday August 8,2023 Meeting
Caldwell Conference Room and Via Zoom
Attendance: Task Force members: Ray Burger, Marie McRae, Joe Wilson, Christina Dravis, Mckenna
Crocker, and Alice Green (coordinator); excused: Hunter Barlow , absent, Nancy Munkenbeck. Guests:
Jerry Sheng, CSC coordinator, and Chris Skawski, CEC Coordinator.
Call to Order at 5:04 pm with a quorum of 6 of the 8 current members.
Introductions : The Task Force welcomed Chris Skawski, new Clean Energy Communities Coordinator
for Tompkins and Tioga Counties. New student Task Force member Hunter Barlow was excused because
of a family trip. Retiring Task Force member Chuck Geisler was thanked again for all his contributions.
Approval of July Minutes - unanimous
Additions to the Agenda - none
Clean Energy Community Actions Review
Clean Building Upgrade HIA Approved! – Alice
NYSERDA notified the Town in mid-July that it has qualified for the $70K pre-approved grant.
Dryden is the second municipality in the Southern Tier CEC region to reach the 5000-point level to
qualify for one of the four available highest-level grants. Combined with earlier grants, this will provide
almost $100,000 towards insulating and electrifying the heating/cooling system at the DPW office
building.
DPW Office Building Upgrade moves forward- John
COE’s notified us we need stamped drawings to tighten the building withinsulation and
window/door replacement. Craig Anderson & John met with Gary Bush to see if he will stamp their
drawings. John looked over terms and conditions from NYSERDA in their guidelines for procurement.
We need to talk with project manager about; pay the prevailing wage, require to engage WMOBE’s and
all work be procured competitively, including to Gary.
Climate Smart Community Actions Review
Dryden Climate Change and Resilience Plan (CCARP) - Jerry, Ray, Christina
Jerry presented a draft Questionnaire meant to help identify critical assets within the Town of
Dryden that need to be protected in time of climate change related extreme weather. Task Force
members made numerous suggestions to streamline the questions, as well as adding a category to
identify communities and constituencies that would be vulnerable in a weather emergency.
The task force also named additional groups that can be asked for help to identify assets. In
addition to Town boards commissions and task forces, and the DHS Sustainability Club, other
constituencies named include: town staff, the five local fire companies, and leaders from the villages of
Dryden and Freeville, and the hamlets of Etna and Varna.
Updates on other Town and Inter-municipal Efforts
DHS Student Report- Mckenna
Mckenna reported that the Dryden School District Superintendent has approved New York Power
Authority (NYPA) to analyze district NYSEG bills to determine current school district energy use. The
goal is to determine whether the district can procure more renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions from use of fossil fuel.
Report from Affordable Housing Task Force – Ray
Ray reported that most of the last Task Force meeting was devoted to a discussion of wetland
preservation on 70+ acres of Town-owned land behind Town Hall that is slated for development of
recreation playing fields. Other potential uses of the remaining acreage that have been discussed
include affordable housing and a potential 10-acre community solar installation. DEC was consulted to
see if they could schedule a survey of the wetlands to delineate their location more precisely than on
current maps. If they can’t schedule it soon, the Town may decide to have the survey done by a private
consulting firm.
Task Force Membership & meeting
Review of the membership roster & consider remote meetings
With the resignation of Chuck Geisler, there are currently nine Task Force members. Nancy has not
attended meetings in more than a year, leaving eight active voting members. It was decided to keep the
current number but remain open to other interested town residents who might want to join.
The six voting members present decide to meet remotely in the future, an arrangement which is allowed
for non-legislative boards and committees under current state law.
Set next meeting time
Members attending also voted unanimously to change meetings to the second Tuesday of each month.
Next meeting was set for 5 pm Tuesday September 12.
Adjournment at 6:29 pm
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