Lexington Seeking Grant Money

LEXINGTON - It is agreed that the Lexington municipal hall, located along Route 42, is an invaluable part of the community.

There is also acknowledgement that the building, named in honor of the late town supervisor Kenneth Becker, is no spring chicken.

Which is why government officials will be trying their darndest to access grant money thru the Capital District Regional Planning Commission.

Town board members were visited by Tara Donadio from the Commission, during a meeting last week, presenting details on what must be done to become eligible to receive those dollars.

Donadio introduced a “Climate Smart Communities” program offered by New York State that could be right up Lexington’s alley.

Town supervisor Jo Ellen Schermerhorn, in a recent phone interview, explained why, saying, “A lot of our buildings need TLC, including the municipal building, a former elementary school built in 1935.

“It seems like you never know what might go wrong any day you walk in there. It needs to be renovated. The windows are drafty and rattle.

“There’s an old boiler that’s been replaced multiple times,” Schermerhorn said, and even when it’s working, it’s unreliable, resulting in no heat just when it seems to be needed the most.

The venerable Kenneth Becker building houses town offices, trucks and a headquarters for the Lexington fire department and a courtroom.

While completely modernizing it is the dream, financial realities disrupt that dream, a disruption that hopefully can be lessened by tapping into the “Climate Smart Communities” program.

Their website states they are here to support local governments in “leading their communities to be more sustainable, reduce pollution, adapt to the effects of climate change and thrive in a green economy.”

Donadio and the Commission provide free technical assistance in the grant process which requires a commitment to achieve all of the above.

“There are currently 403 communities in New York participating in the CSC program,” their website states.

“132 of these communities completed and documented their climate smart actions to become Bronze Certified,” the website states.

“Certification provides communities priority funding status on various state grant programs,” the website states, noting there are three levels of certification, rising gradually from bronze to silver and gold.

Lexington officials, in other words, have their work cut out for them, measuring up to the CSC pledge, a promise to do the following:

—“Build a climate smart community; Inventory emissions, set goals and plan for climate action; Decrease energy use;

“Shift to clean renewable energy; Use climate smart materials management; Implement community resilience to climate change;

“Support a green innovation economy; Inform and inspire the public and engage in an evolving process of climate actions.”

A points system is in place, allowing communities to move up from bronze to gold, increasing their chances for grants by basically, “improving your buildings and all that fun stuff,” Donadio said.

Other fun stuff could include updating streetlighting, doing interior energy upgrades, etc. “You pick and choose what makes sense,” Donadio said.

Council members unanimously voted to approve a resolution to register for the program and adopt the CSC pledge, getting the ball rolling.

It was also decided, upon the recommendation of town attorney Tal Rappleyea, to designate one or two individuals to lead the effort.

Rappleyea, noting he is familiar with the CSC program by his involvement with other towns, said, “it seems to work better to give that point guard a job. They get it done. Otherwise it tends to linger.”

In other matters:

——Council members observed a respectful Moment of Silence for two residents who recently passed away, Louise VanEtten and Bob Barnum.

Van Etten was a longtime resident of steep and winding Airport Road. Barnum was well known for his work in the ministry.