Hurley's Climate Initiatives Earn Bronze - by Maya Schubert, Kingston Wire
The Town of Hurley was among 18 municipalities that received Bronze certifications in New York State’s Climate Smart Communities program last week. The certification, which was announced on Friday by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, marked Hurley’s completion of a number of climate smart “actions” recommended by the Climate Smart Communities program.
“I commend these communities for implementing measures that will adapt to the ongoing impacts of climate change and increase community resilience to extreme weather," Hochul said in a statement on Friday.
The Climate Smart Communities program was created in 2009 to give guidance and support to local governments interested in addressing climate change. Local governments must first take the CSC “pledge” and adopt a resolution to join the program. After registering with the program, the participating government can review a list of actions from the CSC and choose which ones to take. Each action counts as points towards certification.
In November 2020, Hurley created a task force to address the Climate Smart initiatives. According to the CSC’s report, the task force’s actions included partnering and training with a number of regional programs, including ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, a non-governmental organization that promotes sustainability. The task force also worked with the Ulster County Department of the Environment to complete a NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities Solar Campaign. In addition, in 2021 Hurley Climate Smart Task Force Coordinator Kristen Schara participated in a Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley’s six-month training program, called the Local Champions Pilot.
The same year, the town partnered with Ulster County Cornell Cooperative Extension to complete an assessment of Hurley’s resilience to climate change based on its environment and policies. The town has since adopted several recommendations from the report and hopes to incorporate more of the assessment’s findings in the revised comprehensive plan. In addition, the task force wrote an “environmentally preferable” purchasing policy and an amendment to the Town of Hurley’s Procurement Policy, which was adopted into law last October.
The CSC report also acknowledged the installation of a solar panel at Town Hall, as well as an electric vehicle charging station and heat pumps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions there. In total, Hurley reached Bronze certification by completing 19 actions, garnering 137 points.
Also last Friday, the Town of Bedford in Westchester County was honored with Silver certification, which is the highest level in the program, although a gold level is in development. Statewide, there are 10 localities with silver certification and 108 with bronze, and 377 local governments have adopted the Climate Smart Communities pledge.
In other Hurley news:
Town Board Workshop on Tuesday
The Hurley Town Board will hold its next monthly workshop meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at Town Hall, 10 Wamsley Place.
The board’s workshop meetings usually are held in the West Hurley Fire Department building, but the agenda for the May 2 meeting includes a presentation that requires electronic equipment not present at the firehouse.
The meeting is open to the public.
VFW Post 5086's Recruiting
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5086 in Hurley is in need of new members to support its activities and the services it provides.
The VFW post’s membership has been shrinking as veterans of World War II and the Korean War pass on, and its continued existence could be in jeopardy.
Post 5086 (the John F. Jordan Memorial Post) provides services for war veterans who live in Hurley and for the community at large. It meets at the Hurley Reformed Church on Main Street in Old Hurley and participates in such activities as parades, cemetery ceremonies and the retirement of flags.
Anyone interested in joining VFW Post 5086 should contact Post Commander Don Sayut for more information and to learn about eligibility. He can be reached at (845) 338-4929 or dsayut@hvc.rr.com.
Grievance Day is May 23
The Hurley Board of Assessment Review will hear property assessment challenges starting at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 23, (Grievance Day), at Town Hall, 10 Wamsley Place.
Property owners wishing to challenge their assessments that day must make an appointment in advance by calling the Town Assessor’s Office at (845) 331-7474, ext. 4, or by emailing assessor@townofhurley.org.
Property owners who grieve their 2023 assessments will need to submit a Grievance Application (Form RP-524) to the Town Assessor's Office by May 22. The Grievance Application can be found online at tinyurl.com/39edz84d. (Instructions for filling out the form are at tinyurl.com/3e66hd58.)
Completed applications should be emailed to assessor@townofhurley.org or mailed to Town Assessor's Office, P.O. Box 569, Hurley, NY 12443.
For more information, contact the assessor’s office at the above phone number or email address.
Kingston Wire's new coverage of the Town of Hurley is underwritten by Hurley Up. Kingston Wire has complete editorial control of what is reported and published. We accept submissions of letters to the editor, longer opinion pieces, community event notices and story ideas: email us at info@kingstonwire.com