Dobbs Ferry trustees approve 2024 Climate Smart Communities report; volunteers propose sustainability coordinator

Dobbs Ferry’s Board of Trustees on Monday approved the village’s 2024 Climate Smart Communities annual progress report and agreed to post it to the village website as required by the program.

The report, presented by Janet Roseff, coordinator for the Climate Smart Communities (CSC) task force within Sustainable Dobbs, summarizes 2024 highlights including designation at the CSC silver level, Clean Energy Communities (CEC) grants, and municipal electrification projects. Roseff said the report must be posted publicly to meet CSC requirements and that the village needs to resume annual energy benchmarking; the most recent posted data, she said, is from 2020.

Why it matters: the report documents state-designation achievements that supported several grant awards and capital projects. Volunteers told trustees that continued grant tracking and dedicated coordination could expand the village’s ability to apply for and manage state and federal funding tied to emissions reductions and resilience.

Roseff told trustees the village received two CEC designation grants totaling $425,000 that funded the Department of Public Works (DPW) solar project, which she said will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 143 metric tons of CO2-equivalent. "The DPW solar array is projected to save the village a million dollars over 20 years," said Matthew Guarci, chair of Sustainable Dobbs, describing the anticipated fiscal benefit and how solar generation will offset Village Hall and Memorial Park Building electricity use.

Volunteers also outlined five CEC action grants used for items such as electric maintenance equipment for the DPW and mechanical upgrades intended to make the Memorial Park Building all-electric. Carol Pollack, a member of Sustainable Dobbs and the CSC committee, proposed hiring a part-time or full-time sustainability coordinator or consultant to support grant administration, project management, and interdepartmental coordination. "Participating in these programs requires a considerable time commitment," Pollack said. "A dedicated coordinator would support Dobbs Ferry’s engagement with Climate Smart Communities and Clean Energy Communities programs and sustainability efforts more broadly."

Trustees thanked the volunteers for grant work and municipal coordination and said they would consider the coordinator proposal during the upcoming budget process. Mayor and trustees moved and seconded a resolution to add the report to the agenda and then to accept and approve the report; the motion passed with all in favor.

Trustees and volunteers also noted a gaps issue: annual energy benchmarking is required under the CSC program and has not been updated publicly since 2020. Roseff said the task force will work with staff to resume benchmarking and post the data.

The trustees did not adopt a hiring commitment at the meeting; they said the coordinator proposal would be reviewed during budget deliberations. The CSC presenters provided trustees with a packet showing the village’s grant history since 2017, which they said totals more than $700,000 from 15 grants and funds projects ranging from energy-efficiency upgrades to community food-scrap outreach.

The board instructed staff to post the approved 2024 CSC annual progress report on the village website to satisfy program requirements.

Ending: Trustees approved the report and volunteered to consider the sustainability coordinator proposal in the budget process; task force members said they will follow up on benchmarking and other implementation steps.