Busti Town Board Approves Benchmarking Requirements For Clean Energy Initiative
The town of Busti took another step toward renewable energy by approving benchmarking requirements for certain municipal buildings, one of many goals set in the Clean Energy Community Program.
John Mayr, representative of Southern Tier West Regional Planning and NYSERDA Clean Energies Coordinator, returned to explain for those attending the public hearing the process of benchmarking for clean energy.
“It is basically creating a way for the public to see energy consumption usage for public buildings. You make a link on your webpage for everyone to see it,” Mayer said. “There is no annual cost.”
Mayr reviewed the portfolio management of benchmarking with Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Swanson, to be sure that the program was understood and working properly. At the end of this month, the town will submit its energy information for the year, giving the town a head start on its benchmarking goal from 2015-16.
The board also passed the New York State Unified Solar Permit, which sets the same solar permitting laws across the town of Busti, the village of Westfield and the city of Jamestown. Many villages and towns do not have solar permitting laws, which raises liability issues.
The unified solar permit, created by the state, is purposed to streamline the process of renewable energy, according to Mayr.
“It cuts down on a lot of the time, red tape and saves the code enforcement officer’s time in regards to the inspection process,” Myer said. “There’s not a lot of gray area in it.”
The permit will prevent the town from being left high and dry by large solar corporations who install solar farms and then leave them behind after financial failure, according to Mayr. With permitting laws in place, abandoned solar equipment will no longer be under the town’s responsibility. In the case of a bankruptcy, Mayr stated assurance that the company responsible for the solar installation will still be bonded.
Concern was raised by the board and the public that regulations should also be formulated for windmills. In particular, Swanson pointed out, the noise windmills generate will need to be kept in check. Regulations are already in place for small turbines on residential properties.
The geography of Busti, it was also noted, is not ideal for the placement of windmill farms or large turbines unless current technology improves, said Town Attorney Joel Seachrist. An area such as Arkright was mentioned as an example of a more suitable location for wind energy.
In other news, Chief of Police John Bentley reported on 9,618 incidents, including 421 new incidents within the previous two weeks, of which Busti police have been working with other agencies to handle. Busti police have assisted Jamestown police with investigation into a recent string of shootings in the city.
“It’s steady. There’s something going on all the time,” Bentley said.
Eighteen car accidents and 102 traffic tickets have been issued — a sign of the coming winter, said Highway Superintendent Melvin Peterson.
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