Dear Editor:
Beacon is a dynamic and creative community, and it’s a great honor for me to serve as mayor of the city where I grew up. Recently some community-minded volunteers have gotten together to make it easy and affordable for residents of Beacon and surrounding communities to start using solar technology in their homes.
The program is called Solarize Beacon+ and is part of Solarize Hudson Valley, a regional program that is helping households and small businesses to go solar. There are two important reasons why I am such a strong supporter of this campaign and why we should all look into the Solarize Beacon+ program now:
SAVE MONEY: This program will make it cheaper than going through the process alone because of the group-purchasing discount. The more people who sign up, the lower the cost will be for everyone — so we need everyone to help get the word out and encourage their friends to join in.
EASIER: It will also be a lot easier than going at it alone because there is a team in place to guide you through each step of the process. Solarize Beacon+ has vetted and selected quality installers, is coordinating with resource people knowledgeable about financing options, and wants to do everything possible to help the community make the transition away from fossil fuels and towards more sustainable, efficient, locally produced energy.
I fully support this community-based effort, which fits in perfectly with the city’s current efforts to save energy, including our conversion to LED streetlights. I’m committed to making the city permitting process as simple and streamlined as possible. I encourage my fellow citizens to learn about everything the program offers to homeowners, businesses and the whole city. You can start by attending the informational session at Howland Library, 313 Main St. in Beacon, on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 6:30 p.m. Check out the information available at solarize-hudsonvalley.org and look for Solarize Beacon+ on Facebook.
Remember, this is a unique opportunity. The program ends in November. Don’t miss out!
Randy Casale
Mayor of Beacon
This is the only way many of us can afford solar, especially if we have small roofs — let’s do this in Cold Spring too?
Mayor Casale, thank you for your continued support of this program which I totally knew we would have when you spoke at the launch event. Folks from Cold Spring – and for that matter Newburgh – can participate too just by coming to the event or signing up online. Dutchess County Planning Department has even made us a map of neighborhoods with the best solar exposure – that will soon be up on the Solarize website. I am writing this from a solar-powered home office and truly hope we can bring these benefits to many Beaconites.