New York State Senator Pete Harckham secured $100,000 in Senate grant funding for the Town of Cortlandt to purchase wind / solar lighting fixtures to be placed in the Town Hall parking lot, it was announced today. The funding is from the municipal electrification grant that Harckham delivered to all of the municipalities in Senate District 40 as part of the Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology (CREST) program.
“As the Town of Cortlandt continues to work toward increasing use of renewable energy for its municipal infrastructure, this investment in a combination of wind and solar lighting makes perfect sense,” said Harckham. “I am pleased to have arranged for Senate funding to cover the costs of this particular project, knowing that it will benefit residents in terms of safety while not burdening local taxpayers.”
“The Town of Cortlandt thanks Senator Pete Harckham for his $100,000 CREST grant for our purchase of three solar powered lighting fixtures for our Town Hall parking lot,” said Cortlandt Town Supervisor Dr. Richard Becker. “These lighting fixtures will provide much needed additional lighting for our parking lot and demonstrate the Town’s commitment to a sustainable future.”
Dr. Becker added, “The lights are powered by a combination of solar and wind power. The fixtures are completely off the grid and will help the Town of Cortlandt maintain our Bronze Level Certification through New York State Energy Research & Development agency (NYSERDA) and its Climate Smart Community (CSC) program through which communities are awarded points for implementing a variety of green, sustainable technologies. Funding from Senator Harckham, through the CREST program, is critically important for local municipalities to be able to implement such projects.”
The Town of Cortlandt had been seeking funding for several Wind Remote Power Units (RPUs), which are powered solely by wind turbines and solar panels while providing 100% renewable, clean energy. Since the units are entirely off-grid, they provide resilient power and light, even in the event of the grid going down, thus improving safety and security.
Wind Remote Power Units capture wind and solar energy year-round, and the power can be stored for up to five days, depending on usage and demand. The units can be set to full illumination and can be also programmed to either turn off completely or switch into night mode, which dims the lights so as not to disturb nearby residences, while still providing security.
Harckham announced in July 2023 that $2.3 million in grant funding was available to local municipalities for various improvement and infrastructure projects, including downtown improvements and new public safety equipment, all of which would help residents without impacting taxpayers.
His announcement came at a press conference held at Chilmark Park in Briarcliff Manor. Each municipality in the 40th Senate District was eligible to receive up to $100,000 in grants, CREST funding that would be without restriction; municipal officials could use their own discretion for how it should be spent.
The CREST program is among the State Senate grant programs administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) to support community and economic development. Harckham has delivered more than $25 million of State Senate grant funding to municipalities and nonprofits in the 40th Senate District since taking office in 2019.
