Village Board also adopts greenhouse gas inventory
The Cold Spring Village Board, at its Wednesday (March 13) meeting, honored Matthew Jackson as the 2023 Police Officer of the Year. The mayor and trustees must wish all their decisions could be as easy.
Mayor Kathleen Foley praised Jackson, who joined the Cold Spring Police Department in August 2021, for “consistently demonstrating strong character, positive work ethic, confidence and excellence in discharging his duties in a calm and steady demeanor.”
She listed a number of his outstanding actions in 2022-23, including aiding a mother giving birth; locating a lost adult suffering from dementia; administering naloxone in two overdose incidents; restoring the heartbeat of a cardiac arrest victim; and de-escalating a confrontation after a traffic incident, including securing a weapon drawn by one of the motorists.
Foley also noted that Jackson has taken on a leadership role with the Cold Spring Police Benevolent Association and is spearheading officer training for the department’s new computer-aided dispatch system.
Climate inventory
The board adopted a greenhouse gas inventory prepared by Trustee Laura Bozzi, who serves as the Climate Smart Community coordinator. The program, administered by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, provides a framework for municipalities to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming.
The Cold Spring inventory incorporated data from July 2022 to June 2023. During that period, greenhouse gas emissions from village-owned facilities and properties produced the equivalent of 259.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
The village vehicle fleet for the water, wastewater, highway and fire departments contributed 35 percent of emissions. Village Hall, the highway garage, water and wastewater treatment plants and other buildings accounted for another 23 percent. Wastewater and water delivery facilities contributed 20 percent and 18 percent, respectively, while streetlights and traffic signals accounted for 3 percent.
The report notes that the village has taken steps to reduce emissions and related costs by installing LED lights at the highway garage and water plant, retrofitting street lighting to LED and conducting an energy study at Village Hall. The first village-owned electric-vehicle charging stations are expected this spring.
Other initiatives being considered include adding an electric vehicle to the fleet, clean energy and efficiency upgrades at Village Hall and the addition of rooftop solar panels on village buildings.
The next steps include establishing emission-reduction targets and developing strategies to meet them.
Bozzi said the inventory will bolster the village’s application for bronze-level certification in the Climate Smart Communities program and should also make the village eligible for a $175,000 grant from the state’s Clean Energy Communities program.
In other business …
■ The board continued discussions of the 2024-25 village budget. The Wednesday meeting focused on the general fund, which covers most village services and programs. Village Accountant Michelle Ascolillo expects to have a tentative budget by March 20.
■ Cold Spring police officers responded to 101 calls in February, including 10 assists to medical agencies. There was one arrest for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Officers issued 18 traffic tickets, including 13 for speeding and two for speeding in a school zone, as well as 141 parking tickets. The report was the first to glean data from computer-aided dispatch software.
■ The Cold Spring Fire Co. responded to 18 calls last month, including 10 for mutual aid and four car crashes. There was also a car fire, a brush fire and an illegal open burn.
■ The Recreation Commission plans to install a bocce court in McConville Park (Tots Park) on High Street.
■ A Main Street parade to salute the Haldane boys’ basketball team, which is playing today (March 15) and possibly Saturday in the Class C state finals, will be held Sunday at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m.
■ Matt Kroog, superintendent of water and wastewater, said fire hydrants in the village will be flushed from April 1 to 5.
