During 2022 the Hurley Climate Smart Task Force was very busy meeting our goal to complete actions and qualify for Bronze Certification. Last week after Coordinator Kristen Schara finished our narratives and re-checked our documenation, she submitted the work to NYSERDA for state review to do just that.
Our journey started in April of 2019 when the Hurley Town Board approved a pledge to become a become a NYS Climate Smart community. In November of 2020 the board approved the creation of the Climate Smart Task Force (CSTF) and appointed it's first members: Kristen Schara as Coordinator, Lynne Bailey and Andy Shapiro. Kristen and Lynne are still on the CSTF, and while Andy left, Erin Nylen joined us early last year and Planning Board member Peter McKnight followed. Melinda McKnight was our first TB liaison and helped with the initial resolution.
The major tasks we finished in 2022 included
Community and Town Operations Greenhouse Gas Inventories
Special energy audits of town municipal buidings - the Town Hall and old library - arranged by Kristen Schara
With help from Highway Superintendent Mike Shultis the Fleet Inventory is now complete
Green Building Standards for Government Buildings and
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy adopted
We also exanded our membership in regional climate groups when Lynne Bailey became a Cornell Climate Steward. We created and placed educational signage for the town's heat pump and solar array installations. To complete our actions, we assembled all the documentation for those energy savers, the town's Chevy Bolt and EV charging station. We also added more information about heat pumps and climate change, made more Facebook posts and website entries.
120 points are needed to achieve Bronze Certificaiton. Here's a table with the actions that were submitted and the possible point totals. There's a larger version posted here.
