County, Middlefield, Cooperstown Earn Climate Certification
By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
MOHAWK
As of April 24, Otsego County, the Town of Middlefield, and the Village of Cooperstown have been certified as Bronze Climate Smart Communities by New York State, marking progress toward climate action and energy efficiency.
Otsego County is the first county in the Mohawk Valley economic region to receive the certification.
The Climate Smart Communities program offers a checklist of actions local municipalities can take to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, with actions assigned point values. The long checklist includes items like measuring greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change or installing heat pumps. There is also a Silver level. Beyond immediate environmental and cost-savings benefits, municipalities are incentivized to participate through increased state grant opportunities.
“Seeing these communities be honored for their hard work in the program is wonderful,” Kaitlyn Coluccio, a sustainability specialist at the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, said in a press release. “We as coordinators are here to help any community interested in the program.
Many actions communities are already taking could count for points in the program–such as comprehensive plan updates, stormwater infrastructure, and weatherization projects. You might be a lot closer to Bronze Certification than you think!”
Reached for comment, Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh reacted by saying, “The Village is very pleased to receive the Bronze Award as a Climate Smart Community.
“We want to recognize in particular all the work completed by the village’s Community and Environment Committee which served as the required CSC task force for our application. In all, we were recognized for 16 actions in seven categories for a total of 143 points–23 more than are required for Bronze status. We particularly thank the staff at MVEDD, who were incredibly helpful in assembling our application, and ensuring all of our climate smart actions were recognized by NYS.”
Some of Otsego County’s high-point items included: the creation of a Climate Smart Communities Task Force and selection of a program coordinator; a government operations greenhouse gas inventory; government building energy audits; and community campaigns to promote environmental and climate friendly practices.
For Middlefield, actions also included the task force and coordinator, as well as including sustainability elements in its comprehensive plan and utilizing LED street lights. In Cooperstown, further items included community solar use and partnerships with other municipalities.
Full details can be found at https://climatesmart.ny.gov/actions-certification/participating-communities.
Other municipalities in Otsego County have already received Bronze certifications. They are: the Town of New Lisbon; the City of Oneonta; the Town of Oneonta; and the Town of Roseboom.
