Archive for the ‘Community Meeting’ Category

Tobin was part of our October 2011 panel discussion on Sustainability minded transportation options for Saratoga Springs residents. You can follow the work of Shared Access, Saratoga on their Facebook page.

Doug was part of our October 2011 panel discussion on Sustainability minded transportation options in Saratoga Springs.

Healthy Transportation Ideas for Saratoga Springs – Doug Haller from David Levesque on Vimeo.

I’d like to offer my thanks to Bill Sprengnether for his tenure as Co-chair of Sustainable Saratoga over the past fifteen months. Bill’s energy and enthusiasm for the organization’s mission was instrumental in getting Sustainable Saratoga over the first hurdle in our goal towards becoming a bonafide 501(c)(3) Not-for-Profit corporation eligible for tax-deductible contributions and the receipt of grants. He also directed our limited resources and personnel on specific projects that have yielded positive results and continue to generate success. I’d also like to congratulate Bill and Caroline on the birth of their second daughter last month. She represents the next generation of our continued endeavors towards a sustainable future.

I’m also thankful for the opportunity to serve as your Co-chair along with Celeste Caruso, who has been vital to the organization’s day-to-day operations. I will do my best to advance the concepts of sustainability within and outside the organization.

Ed. note (4 Apr 2011):  The following issue has been resolved, thanks to the input of concerned citizens and a responsive City Council.

That said, I’d like to relate a bit of troubling news I received last week: I was told that a resident of the City of Saratoga Springs had approached the City Planning Department to ask what was required of him to have a seasonal produce stand on his own thirteen-acre property so he could sell the produce he grows on it. He was informed that he had to go through the site plan review process and obtain a special use permit. The cost for the site plan review and a special use permit would be around $1300.

Upon the Accounts Department review of the City’s Zoning Ordinance, they found confusing language regarding what is or is not required to have a seasonal produce stand in a RR-1 zone. The intent of a RR-1 zone is to provide low density residential and agricultural uses in order to preserve open space and a rural character. It is the Accounts Department’s interpretation of the Zoning Ordinance that a seasonal produce stand is exempt from both the special use permit and the site plan review, as the seasonal produce stand does not increase the building coverage and/or impermeable ground coverage by two percent or 1200 square feet. In addition, it is a basic tenet of sustainability and local self-reliance that municipal governments should be encouraging local agriculture, not making it difficult for our residents to produce and sell the fruits of their hard labor.

You can review the presentation made to City Council on March 15th, 2011 in either the webcast or meeting minutes, both of which are posted on the City’s website (click here for the City meeting schedule). Accounts Commissioner John Franck’s remarks can be viewed in the portion of the webcast labeled “ACCOUNTS DEPT.”

I have been told that the Council is attempting to fast-track approval for this agricultural exemption, but there is no guarantee that approval is forthcoming in time for the upcoming growing season.

This issue will be in the spotlight for the next Saratoga Springs City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 5th at 7pm. Your voice can make the difference. You can participate in the process in various ways:

• Write your Commissioners of City Council and express your opinion on this matter
• Attend City Council meeting of April 5th, read a prepared statement, and ask for it to be entered into the official record
• Write a letter to the editor of the Saratogian

This resident’s plight is truly at the core of sustainability and food security. As transportation costs mount, we will no longer be able to provide inexpensive food from the other side of the country, and we will need to rely on our own foodshed to provide more of the food that we’ve been accustomed to getting from afar. I hope you’ll express yourself and your concerns for the future of our community.

Links/Addresses:

• City of Saratoga Springs website: www.saratoga-springs.org
• City of Saratoga Springs Zoning Ordinances: www.saratoga-springs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=226&Itemid=130
• Mayor Scott Johnson, City Hall – 474 Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
• Commissioner of Finance Ken Ivins, Jr., see City Hall address above
• Commissioner of Accounts John Franck, see City Hall address above
• Commissioner of Public Safety Richard Wirth, see City Hall address above
• Commissioner of Public Safety Anthony “Skip” Scirocco, see City Hall address above
• Guidelines for submitting opinions to the Saratogian, www.saratogian.com/articles/2011/03/29/opinion/doc4ac2540b945e2496326904.txt

Think Globally, Act Locally,
Jim Zack, Co-chair, Sustainable Saratoga

We had  agraet turn out at this event.

Thank you to Empire State College and Jerry Jenkins for working with us on this important topic.

What: Community Meeting on Climate Change in the Adirondacks with author Jerry Jenkins.

When: Tuesday Feb. 22, 2011
6:30 pm Refreshments and Networking
7:00 Lecture followed by Q & A

Where: SUNY Empire State College, 2 Union Ave, Room 126, Saratoga Springs, NY

Who: Open to the public, hosted by Sustainable Saratoga

Cost: Free

Why: Jerry Jenkins is a well-known ecologist and researcher for the Wildlife Conservation Society. He has authored numerous books on the Adirondacks including two books on climate change.  His first book, “The Adirondack Atlas(Syracuse University Press, 2004), is a collection of maps and stories, and considers issues of regional significance such as climate change, acid rain, survival of farms and commercial forests, tourism and recreational use, and patterns of development.

His latest book, “Climate Change in the Adirondacks: The Path to Sustainability” (Published in Association with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Comstock Publishing Associates – May 1, 2010) provides a comprehensive look at the effects of climate change in the forest-rich upstate New York parklands region as well as sustainable solutions for reducing carbon emissions for the region. For background on the book, please go to  http://www.wcs.org/press/press-releases/climate-change-in-the-adirondacks-book.aspx.

Come learn about these critical issues affecting our region, and what local groups and institutions are doing to work towards solutions.  The event is free and open to the public.  RSVP (requested, though not required), to Susan McFadden, special events coordinator, e-mail: susan.mcfadden@esc.edu or 518-587-2100, ext.  2949.

Parking is located in the back of the building, accessible from Circular Street or on Union Avenue.  Carpooling, walking or taking the bus (Rte. 473 – stop at Union and Circular) is highly encouraged.

For additional information or in case of inclement weather go to www.esc.edu.

The Sustainable Saratoga community meetings are free of charge and open to the public. Please join in the discussion and help build a happier, healthier and more Sustainable Saratoga community!

Saratoga Springs community members joined together for an in depth discussion of affordable housing and urban development on Oct. 26th, 2010.

Approximately 40 community members met at the Saratoga Springs Music Hall to listen to and ask questions of the two presenters and connect with each other.

More details will be published here soon.

You can watch the full video of the event by clicking here.

October 26th Sustainable Saratoga Community Meeting
What: Focus on Housing and Urban Planning
When: 7pm
Where: 3rd floor of Saratoga Springs City Hall (Music Hall)
Cost: Free
More info: 518-320-2613

Sustainable Saratoga is losing it!  Local ‘Biggest Loser’ energy conservation challenge is subject of Tuesday evening, September 28 meeting at Empire State College

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For program information, contact:

Sustainable Saratoga Energy Efficiency and Resources Committee Chair Jeff DeWeese at

(518) 669-6301 deweesej@nycap.rr.com

For general Sustainable Saratoga information, contact:

David Levesque at (518) 320-2613 david@wordofomobile.com

View PDF of this Press Release Click Here.

September 13, 2010

Sustainable Saratoga’s monthly community-wide public meetings are back. The focus of the Tuesday, September 28^th, evening event will be Energy Efficiency in our Community.  In 2008, the per person average energy consumption for New York State residents was 207 million BTUs. Additionally, each resident was responsible for 11.1 tons of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gases. This equates to spending $72 billion annually on energy, 51% of which leaves New York State. Representatives from the residential, commercial, and local government sectors will share information on how we can improve these numbers through energy efficiency in buildings.

Presenters include Tina Carton, Capital/Saratoga Energy$mart Coordinator for Courtney Strong Inc., a Kingston, N.Y.-based consulting firm, who will share tips on energy saving measures that will help save money and discuss incentive programs available through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).  Carton will also highlight the initial results from Sustainable Saratoga’s “Biggest Loser Challenge” – a competition to see which side of a local neighborhood can lose the most energy.  A local college representative will highlight the energy efficiency measures and savings achieved through existing commercial programs.  Christopher Kalwara, Building Efficiency Account Executive from Johnson Controls, will highlight energy saving measures recently implemented in public buildings in Saratoga Springs, which save our city about $200,000 per year.

The third monthly ‘weigh in’ of the Biggest Loser competition and energy saving demonstrations will take place Tuesday morning at one of the “Biggest Loser” participant’s homes.

After the evening’s Energy Efficiency presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with Sustainable Saratoga’s committees and hear about their plans for the upcoming year. Our committees include:

  Energy Efficiency and Resources

  Farming, Open Space, and Natural Resources

  Housing and Urban Planning

  Local Economy

  Media and Communications

  Transportation and Mobility

  Waste, Composting, and Recycling

The event is free of charge and open to the public. Please join us Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. at Empire State College, 113 West Ave, Rm 143 Saratoga Springs (near the corner of West Ave & Washington – parking is behind and to the side of the building; please enter around the back of the building). Get a head start on energy savings for the upcoming heating season, and help make Saratoga Sustainable!

Below are some highlights and action items from our June 22, 2010 Resilient Local Economy Dialogue in Saratoga Springs.

Local Resilient Economy Discussion at Sustainable Saratoga from David Levesque on Vimeo.

What can we do as a Local Economy Subcommittee?

What are things that are local but perhaps overlooked?

1. Support Regional Goods – Is there something manufactured in Albany that we could support
2. Local Bookstore (Tim has mentioned there is a great one in Schuylerville, again, could support #4, awareness)
3. The Chamber supports chains and big box stores, not just local business, but all business. Awareness campaign? How do other Chambers deal with the support for local businesses in light of non-local business presences?

Description:

Some of the questions asked by our Saratoga Springs community during the event include.

• What is a local economy?
• Where are they successful and why?
• How do we nurture one in Saratoga County?
• What is local?
• What is an economy?
• What is sustainable?
• How can the rights of property owners, which are implied in the Constitution, be balanced with the “common good”?
• Are debt-based economies unsustainable by definition?  What is the debt/income ratio of the Population of Saratoga County and how does that compare to other municipalities in NY?
• How would you go about quantifying the well-being of our community? our region? our nation?  our planet?  (alternatives to throughput metrics like GDP)
• Michael Shuman, in his book “Going Local” posits that Import Replacement is a key part of a local economy.  What are we currently importing that we can grow, extract, generate, or build right here?
• What projects can our committee focus on to get results?
• Can you comment on the value of local currencies?
• What happens to Saratoga’s economy if there is no racing industry? What happens if tourism drops off when the Happy Motoring fiesta is over?
• Should we be measuring something else besides money to determine our well being?
• Where do the arts fit into the local economy, and how do we quantify their value to our well-being?
• Modern economics seems fixated on quantification of the amount of money flowing through global markets.  That’s like studying only the human circulatory system and claiming to understand human biology.  Can economists change their perception to include other systems currently categorized as externalities (human intellegence, ecosystem services, natural splendor)?
• Can we estimate the percentage of transactions that occur on a local basis as opposed to those which occur across our local area? (both our spending out of area and out of area people spending here)?
• Do you think that microlending (a la Grameen Bank of founded by Mohammad Yunus) or community-owned banks could help members of the community get a leg up on starting a business or retrofitting their home for energy efficiency?
• What can we each do as individuals and as Sustainable Saratoga?  (move money from transnational banking/investment casinos to locally-owned/operated banks?)
• What is the profit of our region? Overall income minus expenses.

Thank you for reading this information. Please feel free to comment below. We will have updates. You can subscribe to our email newsletter in the upper left hand corner of this page.

Have a great day!