Climate Smart Task Force

Minutes Climate Smart Task Force of Saratoga Springs June 21st, 2023 In Attendance: Chair Laura Faulk, Rayna Caldwell, Deirdre Ladd, Jamil Khan, Tara Donadio (CDRPC), Eric Jeremias (NYPA), Jennifer Ferris (Saratoga Springs Public Library) City Staff in Attendance: Heather Crocker, Jen Dunn, Michael Dutre, Brooke VanBuskirk Absent: Anita Morzillo, James Gallagher, Ben Foster, Dan Barusch Public Comment: No members of the public were in attendance. Approval of May Meeting Minutes: The minutes were approved as read. New Committee Member: Jamil Khan was appointed to Climate Smart at the June 20 City Council meeting. His appointment replaces Marilyn Rivers, who retired from her staff position with the City and from her seat on the Climate Smart Task Force. Overview of NYPA Product Portfolio – Eric Jeremias, Key Account Executive: Eric Jeremias outlined NYPA’s products and services for Climate Smart. Rayna Caldwell asked if NYPA can assist with building decarbonization. Eric Jeremias replied that they can as long as the building is not residential, further, NYPA would likely group several buildings together rather than do a standalone. Jamil Khan asked how the City can leverage tax incentives from recent programs like the Inflation Reduction Act. Eric Jeremias said the latest trend is PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes). He can reach out to his colleagues to find out more. NYPA offers advisory services free of charge and then has a fee structure for assistance with implementation. A copy of Eric’s presentation was sent to Climate Smart Task Force members as a separate attachment. LED Streetlight Project: Heather Crocker updated Climate Smart that Finance has been meeting with DPW and the Mayor’s office to finalize the purchase of City Street lights from National Grid. Brook VanBuskirk highlighted that DPW has chosen the type of fixtures they want for streetlights. They are considering solar lighting on trails. The City still needs to send NYSERDA a project update to preserve the $50k streetlight grant. Tara Donadio stressed that this should be done ASAP in order to ensure preservation of the funding. Climate Action Plan: Michael Dutre updated Climate Smart that the CAP RFP bids are now available in the shared workspace - Basecamp. There is a note from legal on insurance specifications on several of the bidders that will need to be fixed. The team agreed to communicate to the bidders that a final decision will be reached by the end of the summer. Champlain Hudson Power Express – Community Benefit: Jen Dunn updated Climate Smart that CHPE has facilitated an introduction meeting with the Railroad but to not get too excited about obtaining surface rights. There is a CHPE fund for community development which may be a way to get design money for the Crescent Ave Connector. Congressman Tonko recently earmarked construction costs for Crescent. There is also funding through the Green Economy Fund (GEF) to assist with green job creation leaving open the possibility of partnering with organizations like BOCES and HVCC TechSmart. The focus is on job training for disadvantaged and frontline communities, those currently underrepresented in the construction industry, including BIPOC and women, as well as retraining for those currently employed in the fossil fuel industry. July Meeting The team agreed to move the July meeting to July 26 at 9am due to vacation schedules. Meeting Adjourned.