12 Sep Village of Saranac Lake encourages public input on its climate action plan
Survey developed by the Climate Smart Communities Task Force
The Village of Saranac Lake’s Climate Smart Communities Task Force is asking for input regarding the local government’s environmental initiatives to curb the effects of the changing climate. Community members are encouraged to complete a survey that will be sent via email, available for pickup at various locations throughout Saranac Lake, and will be available here. Completed surveys will be accepted until September 30.
The task force, a group of community leaders, residents, and business owners tasked with assisting the village to achieve NYS Climate Smart Communities certification, has developed the survey to gauge public sentiment regarding its environmental- and climate-focused initiatives within the local government’s day-to-day operations.
The survey will gauge public opinion about the Village of Saranac Lake’s plans for enacting various initiatives within its government departments. Survey respondents will also have the opportunity to share their thoughts about the plans through a series of open-ended questions within the survey.
In 2018, the Village of Saranac Lake board of trustees unanimously adopted a resolution to take part in the New York State Climate Smart Communities pledge. The resolution included a number of initiatives, including the establishment of a task force to prepare the village and its residents for impacts of a changing climate. The resolution included specific steps that Saranac Lake’s government departments could enact right away, including an ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction target. To date, the village has made significant progress, achieving a 37% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in municipally-owned buildings. As a direct result of those actions, the village became one of New York’s first Bronze Certified Climate Smart Communities in 2020; it was re-certified in 2024.
According to Task Force Chair Garrett Marino, the next phase of the Climate Smart Communities pledge is to develop a plan for continued action regarding climate-supporting initiatives. “Saranac Lake’s plan will serve as a roadmap for building a sustainable, climate-responsive municipality. This plan, currently in draft form, focuses on government operations and includes specific and measurable goals,” he said. “Community members should know that by completing the survey, they will be directly contributing to the plan – their feedback will be used to re-evaluate and enhance elements of the draft plan. The tabulated results will also become part of the plan, showing residents’ support of the various initiatives.”
The Village of Saranac Lake Climate Action Plan Draft outlines a set of climate-friendly initiatives including building and lighting updates, along with transportation upgrades. The village is planning for various energy programs including obtaining additional power from the dam at Lake Flower and partnering with Clarkson University’s small-profile wind program to generate power on Mount Pisgah – initiatives that will help the village achieve the state’s silver designation.
According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, 445 communities have adopted the Climate Smart Communities pledge. Along with the Village of Saranac Lake, 147 other communities have achieved bronze status and 21 have reached silver status, the program’s highest level of certification.
Locally, the towns of Lake Placid and Jay have also achieved bronze certification.
The CSC Task Force meets on the first Wednesday of each month at Harrietstown Town Hall, second floor, from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend.
Read more about the CSC program in Saranac Lake here.
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