Heating, Cooling Upgrades Celebrated at Arts Center in Ossining
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A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held last week to mark recently-installed heating and cooling upgrades at the Cedar Lane Arts Center building in Cedar Lane Park in the Town of Ossining.
An Air Source Heat Pump was installed, and the electrical capacity of the building was upgraded as part of this project. The improvements were funded by a $40,000 grant from NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program, which the town earned for implementing high-impact clean energy actions and spearheading two community campaigns in partnership with Sustainable Westchester, EnergySmart Homes and GridRewards.
“Cedar Lane Park is already the home to so many of the town’s sustainability initiatives, including the Food Scrap Recycling Program, EV charging station, and Ossining’s Organic Community Garden, not to mention thriving art programs,” said Ossining Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg. “We are so pleased to continue to be a leader on environmental initiatives and showcase to the community how easy clean heating and cooling upgrades can be, as part of a critical effort to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.”
“Sustainable Westchester is proud to have assisted the Town of Ossining on their Clean Energy Communities campaigns for EnergySmart Homes, Community Solar and GridRewards,” said Lauren Brois, Program Director of EnergySmart Homes with Sustainable Westchester. “The town delivered informative educational campaigns that not only helped residents to reduce their energy usage and cut greenhouse gas emissions but also earned the town $15,000 in grant funding. Now the good news continues with the installation of the air source heat pump at the Cedar Lane Arts Center! This new heat pump is another example of the Town of Ossining’s sustainability leadership.”
Several state officials were on hand to celebrate the achievement with town officials.
“Bravo to the Town of Ossining for once again being a leader among local governments in taking action to combat climate change by transitioning away from fossil fuels,” said State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick. “I am delighted to see one of the grants from NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities Program being invested in this inspiring facility.”
“The NYS budget was passed to allow agencies like NYSERDA to provide grants to our local communities which incentivize clean energy projects, like the one that the Town of Ossining undertook,” said Assemblywoman Sandy Galef. “This is an excellent example of how state funding contributes positively towards our climate concerns by helping our municipalities match projects with funding sources.”
The Town of Ossining has been benchmarking energy use at its buildings since 2016. The expanded electrical capacity at the building will also allow the town to consider future energy efficiency upgrades.
Ossining also recently reaffirmed its commitment to meeting the goals of New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act by resolution, and this project moves the town closer to those goals.
“With Cedar Lane Park home to our food scraps recycling program, our organic community garden, an EV charging station, an arts/culture program, green open space, and now a community building with air source heat pumps, it is quickly becoming a showcase for green initiatives that benefit our environment and public health, while reducing our resource use,” said Suzie Ross, Chairperson/Co-Founder, Green Ossining and Co-Chair/Co-Founder, Climate Reality Project – Westchester Chapter.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
