2011-12-01

              Keep up OR breaking news!
Become our
fan on facebook
Bookmark us on the web
Here comes the sun....
GOING GREEN: Above left is Village Trustee
Robert Kennedy with the new turbine. Bottom
left, from left are Chief Executive Officer of
EmPower Solar David Schieren; Devin Ellerbe;
William Luke; Peter Reinke; Nassau County
Office of Community Development Director
Raymond Thomas; Les Endo, Jr.;
Superintendent of Electric Anthony Rore; Mayor
Andrew Hardwick; Marie Chipe; Al Livingston;
fire Chief Mark Stuparich, Jr.; Assistant Fire
Chief David Baer; Freeport Fire Department
Executive Director Raymond Maguire.
by Chris McBride
Freeport village is going green and find-ing
new ways to deliver services and save
energy and money at the same time.
Its latest efforts include the installation
of the 50 kW solar panels on the roof of
Freeport Fire Department Headquarters,
the largest fire house and the first munici-pal
building in Freeport to receive the pan-els.
The 50 kW solar panel project will
reduce the operating cost of Freeport's
Fire Headquarters, a building that operates
24-hours a day, say Freeport officials.
At a press conference on Monday,
November 28, Freeport Superintendent of
Electric Utilities Anthony Fiore said "This
unit will reduce annual emissions by 97
pounds per year and approximately 20%
of its operating expense but cost the vil-lage
nothing at all." Additionally, the proj-ect
will bring a savings to the village of
over $7,000 per year. According to the vil-lage's
press release, this translates into a
reduction in emissions of 104,256 pounds
or the equivalent of 7.21 cars.
"There are many ways a municipality
can go green and Freeport has instituted
several steps to reduce its carbon foot-print,"
said Mayor Andrew Hardwick. In
addition to installing solar panels the
Village of Freeport has purchased several
hybrid cars, one hybrid truck and replaced
340 street lights with an energy efficient
alternative.
Solar panels in Freeport
The 50Kw solar project could not have
been completed without the assistance of
the New York States Energy, Research and
Development Agency (NYSERDA) who
provided an investment of $355,027.
These funds came through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
of 2009, which not only helps reduce elec-tricity
costs and carbon pollution but. also
helps to create local jobs.
Mr. Fiore said he began looking into
renewable resources back in 2008
when he led the village to start ECAP
- the Energy Conservation Awareness
Program - which "focused on four
main topics - educating the customers
with a robust education program,
renewable energy, energy efficiency
and reducing dependence on foreign
oil," he said.
In addition to the solar panels at fire head-quarters,
the village electric department,
with the help of Lenny Catalino of the
New York Power Authority, negotiated a
rebate program for customers who have
installed solar panels. This resulted in
close to a quarter million dollars in rebates
for Freeport residents.
Furthermore Freeport received
$173,000 in a grant from the Department
of Energy to be "used to install approxi-mately
340 • 80-watt induction street
lights that replaced the 123-watt lights
previously used throughout the village.
The Village of Freeport also received
another incentive to reduce its energy
cost. The New York Power Authority, is
providing Freeport with almost $60,000
toward the purchase of a hybrid bucket
truck as well as 0% financing for 36
months.
Mr. Fiore also recognized Les Endo, a
Freeport Electric employee who has
helped to write grants and gotten many of
these projects off the ground.
All in all, Mayor Hardwick said the vil-lage
has reduced pollution by generating
350 pounds less of emissions and has
reduced energy usage by more than
200,000 kilowatt hours, plus 'peak
demand' has been reduced by 163 kilo-watts.
"Because of these and other measures
the village has been able to pay down a
million and a half dollars in my first year
in office," said Mayor Hardwick. "We
must keep searching for more new tech-nology,
that is what it is all about."
NAMES MAKE THE NEWS: Read about your neighbors! 53 local people's names were in your community newspaper this past week Maybe yours is in this week! See inside.
FHS students in
National Honor Society
page 3
Freeport
holiday happenings
page 5
New standards for
football helmets
page 10