Dear Neighbors:

As reported in last week’s Gazette, sign-ups for the Community Solar array at the new DPW garage have opened.  The array, which is owned and operated by a private developer, will provide discounted electric power to those who wish to subscribe AND make lease payments to the Village of Croton totaling over $700,000. 

This is just one of the steps the Village government has taken in recent years to support renewable energy and environmental conservation–and we continue to work on more. 

Since taking office in December 2017, the Democratic majority on the Board of Trustees has:

1. Enrolled the Village in 100% renewable power through Sustainable Westchester’s Westchester Power Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program;
2. Installed electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lots of the Croton-Harmon train station and Municipal Building; 
3. Started to replace older vehicles in our fleet with electric ones through attrition;
4. Enrolled in Sustainable Westchester’s Drive Electric program, giving the Village and residents access to discounts on electric vehicles;
5. Launched a new Solarize campaign that has added dozens of new solar energy systems to our community;
6. Developed a Living Lighting Laboratory in the Municipal Building to demonstrate energy efficient lighting;
7. Organized seminars on home energy efficiency from the Cornell Cooperative Extension for the Seniors’ Club and other community groups;
   
8. Relaunched a new and improved Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) to create new financing options for commercial renewable energy projects;
   
9. Adopted a local law to allow for carport solar & certain commercial systems and regulate the installation of solar energy arrays;
10. Empowered the local police to ticket vehicles for excessive idling; and
11. Secured grant funding for a pilot food waste recycling program;

In light of the great need to prepare for a fossil fuel free future, the Board of Trustees continues to explore new green initiatives.  The Board had a discussion of possible solar projects at the Croton-Harmon Train Station in June and, in May, discussed the possible installation of solar carports at other parking lots in the Village.

I look forward to continuing to work with the Democrati majority on the Village of Croton-on-Hudson’s Board of Trustees to build a more sustainable future for our community. And my Board of Trustees colleagues and I are grateful to hear regularly from Croton residents of all parties and independents that support renewable energy and environmental conservation,  all of which make for a better tomorrow for Croton .

Sincerely,

Brian Pugh, Mayor