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Hudson Valley Regional Council

Spring 2022 Newsletter

Dear HVRC Community,  

Spring is here and HVRC is excited to share highlights across all our teams: economic development, water quality,  NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities (CEC), and New York State’s Climate Smart Communities (CSC).   We also have the latest on opportunities to pursue sustainable economic development, clean energy improvements, and grant funding. 

HVRC Updates

HVRC Board Officer Appointments 

At the HVRC March Board meeting, new Board officers were appointed for a one-year term beginning April 1, 2022. We welcomed Westchester County Director of Economic Development Bridget Gibbons as Board chair and thanked outgoing Board chair, City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison, for his contributions and commitment to the Board. We also welcomed Ulster County Legislative Chair Tracey Bartels as Board vice chair, and City of Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey as Board secretary. HVRC Deputy Executive Director Carla Castillo will serve as treasurer. 

Leadership Transitions

Change, however sad or exciting, is inevitable. After 10 years of committed service to the Region and HVRC, Executive Director Patricia Pomeroy will be retiring on June 30th this year. The Board appointed current Deputy Executive Director Castillo to serve as interim executive director beginning July 1. Also beginning July 1, CEC Coordinator Eleanor Peck will be expanding her existing work to serve as Mid-Hudson Region manager of the NYSERDA CEC Program.

New Office Space

HVRC has moved! We will miss our glorious view of the Hudson River from our former location at the Orange County office building on the SUNY Orange campus, and we thank Orange County and the building’s staff for our time there. We are excited to have moved into our new location at ADS Warehouse at 105 Ann Street in the City of Newburgh. The warehouse is all electric, with air-source heat pumps, green stormwater infrastructure features, and with roof-top solar panels planned in the near future. Built in 1890, the warehouse was used as a storage building for Sears and Roebuck Company. We anticipate being able to welcome visitors to our new space in May.  

Economic Development

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)

The draft annual update to the Region’s CEDS is in the process of being finalized with County data and priority projects. It will be posted on HVRC’s website for public comment by June 2022. The January 2020-December 2020 Annual Update is available on HVRC’s website.


EDA Funding Opportunity - American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

HVRC provided technical assistance and guidance to the below listed applicants for federal funding through ARPA:  

  • Economic Adjustment Assistance – Sullivan Co. Broadband  
  • Build Back Better – Westchester Co.  
  • Build Back Better – Beacon Institute/Clarkson  
  • Good Jobs Challenge – Westchester County Association  
  • Good Jobs Challenge – Orange County Film, media Arts  
  • Economic Adjustment Assistance – City of Peekskill Food Hub  
  • Travel, Tourism, Outdoor Rec – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts  

EDA CARES Special Project

In April 2022, HVRC will pivot from canvassing regional businesses to municipal governments to assess adverse impacts due to COVID. HVRC will also be developing a series of webinars to share our findings thus far, with the final report to be completed by June 30, 2022.   

Economic Disaster Recovery Coordinator Jake Mitchell’s Update: Some businesses experienced a boom during COVID-19. We recently spoke to a florist in Kingston, who said their sales significantly increased during the pandemic. The florist said that since people couldn’t visit each other during the pandemic, they sent flowers instead. Increased flower sales also correlated with an increased number of funerals. Additionally, those businesses that already had or pivoted quickly to curb-side pickup and/or delivery services, did better than those that did not.  

Economic Disaster Recovery Coordinator Caleb Fine’s Update: Throughout the pandemic, industries were hit with shortages of common and necessary items. The automotive industry was challenged with difficulties obtaining computer chips for cars once demand increased. Prior to these supply constraints, cars typically sat in lots for 20 days before being sold as compared to 62 days as of March 2021. Shipping stores faced shortages of masking tape, packing peanuts, and even cardboard for boxes. While inflation has made basic cooking supplies more expensive, restaurants are having trouble offering poultry to customers due to the Omicron variant’s impact on every step of a chicken’s journey from farm to table. Although businesses have adapted to these hardships, it is hard to predict what items supply shortages will hit next.

Water Quality Update

Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2) 

The Village of New Paltz’s Drinking Water Source Protection Plan is nearly complete and the planning members have now commenced the final phase of the program, Plan Management. The Plan Management team will meet quarterly and report to HVRC and DEC with any updates, progress, or revisions while implementing the plan drafted in the previous year. 

HVRC is pleased to announce that our next DWSP2 project will be with the Village of Goshen! We have begun Phase 1, gathering a stakeholder group, and will set the first official stakeholder group meeting within the next month.  

Read the DEC’s latest newsletter where they feature our DWSP2 work. 


9 Element Watershed Planning (9E)

As a precursor to assessing water quality needs in the Region on a watershed scale, we have put together an inventory of all HUC-8 and HUC-10 watersheds in the region. See our watershed inventory list. 

Clean Energy Communities Update

Grant Award Recipients

Congratulations to Mid-Hudson communities that have received Designation Grants, Point-Based Grants, or Action Grants through the NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities Program. In total, $1,595,000 has been earned by Mid-Hudson municipalities in the Leadership Round, which began in January 2021. Communities earning grants to date are listed in the below table. Grant funding has gone towards projects like LED lighting in municipal buildings, funding for sustainability coordinators, energy efficiency upgrades, electric vehicle charging stations, heat pumps, solar panels, the development of comprehensive plans with sustainability elements, waste prevention education, clean energy interns, energy efficiency improvements to HVAC systems, energy audits, bike racks, and many other sustainability and clean energy projects.

City of Beacon  
Town of Mamaroneck  
Village of Ardsley  
City of Kingston  
Town of Marbletown  
Village of Briarcliff Manor  
City of New Rochelle  
Town of New Castle  
Village of Croton-on-Hudson  
City of Poughkeepsie  
Town of North East  
Village of Dobbs Ferry  
City of Rye  
Town of North Salem  
Village of Hastings-on-Hudson  
City of Yonkers  
Town of Olive  
Village of Haverstraw  
Dutchess County  
Town of Orangetown  
Village of Irvington  
Town of Bedford  
Town of Ossining  
Village of Larchmont  
Town of Bethel  
Town of Philipstown 
Village of Mamaroneck  
Town of Clarkstown  
Town of Pine Plains  
Village of Ossining  
Town of Clinton (Dutchess County)  
Town of Putnam Valley  
Village of Pelham  
Town of Cortlandt  
Town of Red Hook  
Village of Piermont  
Town of Dover  
Town of Rye  
Village of Pleasantville  
Town of Greenburgh  
Town of Saugerties  
Village of Rhinebeck  
Town of Hurley  
Town of Union Vale  
Village of Rye Brook  
Town of Hyde Park  
Town of Woodstock  
Village of Warwick  
Town of Kent  
Town of Yorktown  
Town of Lewisboro  
Ulster County  

Hitting the Mark!

New York State has officially hit 1 Gigawatt of community solar, enough to power 200,000 homes across the state. This makes New York the national leader in installed community solar. Governor Kathy Hochul stated on March 22nd that the 700 projects in the queue for interconnection and construction could generate an additional 2.3 Gigawatts of additional energy generated by community solar power. 

County-Hosted Trainings

You may have noticed your county offering trainings on the management of clean energy development by municipalities. These trainings are specific to your county and are available to elected officials, municipal staff, appointed volunteers on municipal boards and committees (planning and zoning boards, and conservation advisory councils), and code enforcement officers and building inspectors. Take a moment to register for the trainings being offered by your specific county from the below list. Trainings in Rockland and Westchester Counties already have taken place; we encourage you to reach out to your county for further information. Continuing education credit is available for the below trainings when taken in your county.

Trainings for Dutchess County Municipalities Only:

Trainings for Orange County Municipalities Only: Trainings for Sullivan County Municipalities Only:  To register, contact planning@sullivanny.us.
  • May 24:  Overview of the Model Battery Energy Storage System Law
Trainings for Ulster County Municipalities Only:  To register, contact environment@co.ulster.ny.us.
  • June 1:  Battery Energy Storage for First Responders
  • June 2:  Clean Energy and Your Comprehensive Plan
  • June 8:  Solar PV Permitting and Inspecting
  • June 15:  Overview of the Model Battery Energy Storage System Law

Climate Smart Communities Update

Mid-Hudson Region Certifications

Congratulations to the Town of Hyde Park and Town of Mamaroneck for their first-time Bronze certification and Bronze recertification, respectively, within the NYS Climate Smart Communities Program! This significant accomplishment brings the number of certified Climate Smart Communities within the Mid-Hudson Region to 33 Bronze Certified Communities and 5 Silver Certified Communities, and 78 Registered Communities. A full listing can be viewed here.   

Climate Leadership Support Services

HVRC will be delivering additional support to the NYS CSC Program through the DEC’s Climate Leadership Support Services. Our new Climate Leadership Coordinator will soon begin supporting registered and certified Climate Smart Communities with the development of greenhouse gas emissions inventories and climate mitigation plans; adaptation planning support will also be available. Our Clean Energy Communities Coordinators will continue to be available to answer questions about achieving credit for all CSC actions and CEC High-Impact actions, as well as providing in-depth certification application review.

Let's Get Those Projects Rolling!

Hudson River Estuary Grants: A variety of grant and funding opportunities are available through the Estuary Program. Applications for Tributary Restoration and Resiliency are due May 4, 2022. Three types of grant opportunities are also available through three Requests for Applications (RFAs): Local Stewardship Planning, Hudson River Estuary Access, and River Education. These RFAs are only available online through the NYS Grants GatewayApplications are due June 1, 2022. Grants for Restoration of Watershed Connectivity and Improved Road Infrastructure are due June 10, 2022.

Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley is launching the second round of its Local Champions Program to assist 10 Hudson Valley municipalities with funding, training, peer support, interns, catalyst grants, grant writing coaching, and consultations with engineers to further their work in the NYS Climate Smart Communities Program. Cities, towns and villages within Dutchess, Columbia, Greene, and Ulster Counties are welcome to apply. Eligible applicants include Climate Smart Task Force Coordinators who can demonstrate a close working relationship with their local government. Applications due May 2, 2022.  

NYSERDA Stretch to Zero Announcement: The NYSERDA Stretch to Zero Pilot Program aims to award municipalities up to $500,000 each for the adoption and implementation of a zero on-site greenhouse gas emissions code by December 2023. In Category 1, NYSERDA seeks municipalities that are committed to adopting a new code, have a history of commitment to environmental action, and can demonstrate consistent commercial and residential development. The due date for applications is May 2, 2022.   
 
The Hudson River Valley Greenway Grant Program provides matching grants to Greenway Communities and Compact Communities. Greenway Communities are eligible to receive up to $10,000 to develop plans or projects consistent with the five Greenway criteria: natural and cultural resource protection, economic development, public access, regional planning, and heritage and environmental education. Higher amounts are awarded for intermunicipal projects.  The next 2022 deadline is May 6th. 
 
NYSAR Green School Grants program provide funds to public and private K-12 schools in New York to develop new programs and support existing programs related to the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, and recycle) and composting. Applications are due June 5, 2022.
 
EDA Build to Scale Funding Opportunity: The EDA is accepting applications to further technology-based economic development initiatives that accelerate high-quality job growth, create more economic opportunities, and support the next generation of industry leading companies. Applications are due June 13, 2022.
 
NYSERDA Just Transition PON 4563New York State is taking proactive steps to assist communities envision and plan for a clean energy powered future. To meet the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the NYSERDA Just Transition Program offers planning services to communities with fossil-fuel power plants so that local governments can formulate their clean energy future. NYSERDA-authorized planning contractors will provide site reuse planning and technical support services to eligible applicants at no cost.  Explore the Just Transition Program, its eligibility requirements, and the simple application process here. Applications accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis until August 5, 2024.

Spotlight

The Center for Economic and Environmental Partnership (CEEP) recently announced their partnership with Bard College for the creation of the Community Climate Action (CCA) Scholars Program. The program trains early career professionals in project management skills to tackle pressing sustainability challenges. Jeff Domanski, Executive Director of CEEP, said he founded the program because sustainability solutions require a suite of skills including project management and communication. This program matches Bard students and recent grads to sustainability projects within Hudson Valley municipalities and nonprofits. The program simultaneously accomplishes hands-on training for early career professionals while pushing forward real world, Hudson Valley sustainability projects.  
— Jake Mitchell

When the pandemic hit, nonprofits were facing rough waters between the economy being shut down and the ever-growing needs of the community. However, according to a new report from the New York Council of Nonprofits, they have fared better than for-profit companies throughout the pandemic. Nonprofits were losing nearly half as many employees when comparing 2019 and 2020 employment (-6.3% vs -11.7%). In the healthcare field (making up half of the nonprofit workforce), the rate is nearly triple for for-profits.  (-2.2% vs -7.7%). Considering that in the Hudson Valley Region nonprofits are the second highest employer (behind the government) and account for nearly 1 in 5 non-governmental workers, to keep that many employees is an accomplishment. Read more about the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley report and the New York Council of Nonprofits & Hudson Valley Funders Network report.
— Caleb Fine

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