BETHEL –– Board members in the Town of Bethel approved a resolution to adopt a Government Operations Climate Action Plan (CAP) during their most recent meeting this month.

Guided by the Sustainable Bethel Committee and now approved by the town board, the town says this strategic document sets goals and outlines initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from municipal operations.

It also intends to reduce the town’s energy expenditures while contributing to New York State’s campaign of combating climate change.

“Over the past few years, the town has made and continues to make enormous progress implementing energy saving measures and reducing the town’s carbon footprint,” said Bethel Town Supervisor Dan Sturm.

Bethel adopted the Building Energy Benchmarking Policy in 2016 which commits the town to monitor and make yearly reports of energy use for all town buildings over 1,000 square feet, including the Town Hall, Sewer and Wastewater Treatment Plant, Highway Barn, Senior Center and Justice Court.

The CAP provides a basis for measuring the town’s future progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions against this 2016 baseline and most recent greenhouse gas inventory.

Sturm said they’ve conducted energy audits of all town buildings to identify where energy savings could be most impactful. Over the past several years, the town purchased an electric vehicle (EV) and installed an EV charging station in its parking lot for municipal and public use.

The town also enacted a local solar law to encourage adoption of residential and commercial solar technology.

The town purchased its streetlights from New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) and, with cooperation from the New York Power Authority (NYPA), has converted 95 percent to more emergency efficient LED bulbs. Sturm says the LED project alone will reduce more than 15 metric tons of CO2 equivalents every year.

In October, Bethel broke ground on its community solar project. In partnership with BQ Energy and Source Power, the project is expected to produce 2.7 MW of solar energy from the town’s capped landfill.

This past July, then Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul was joined by representatives from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Delaware River Solar to cut the ribbon on a 6.1 MW solar array at Hofstee farm off of Route 17B in Bethel.

The next major project expected to commence in 2022 is the renovation and expansion of the Bethel Town Hall to address poor insulation, uncontrolled air leakage and inadequate space.

The proposed renovations to Town Hall are designed to meet Source Net Zero criteria through adherence to Passive House Standards and eliminate the use of fossil fuels for space conditioning or backup power generation.

The town intends to apply grant funding from NYSERDA and other sources toward the total estimated cost of $1.3 million. Sturm said town hall improvements would not result in any tax increase and would save money on energy costs in the long run.

“The town hall renovation and expansion represents a once-in-a-generation municipal undertaking,” Sturm said.

In addition to the planned renovations at town hall, Bethel anticipates adopting a Green Building Standard in 2022 for all new municipal construction.

“Our town was one of the first municipalities in the state to achieve ‘Bronze’ certification as a Climate Smart Community,” said Sturm. “Through the adoption and implementation of this Climate Action Plan, we look forward to demonstrating leadership once again as we focus on achieving a sustainable and energy-efficient future.”