Communities in Central New York, the Mohawk Valley, and the Southern Tier were among those recently awarded funding from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC’s) Climate Smart Communities grant program.

In all, $11 million went to municipalities as part of the $196 million in Regional Economic Development Council awards, Basil Seggos, commissioner of the DEC, said in a release.

The projects will help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and adapt to the ongoing impacts of climate change, including reducing flood risk, increasing natural resiliency, and relocating or retrofitting critical infrastructure, the DEC said.

Established in 2016, this 50/50 matching-grant program supports municipalities seeking to become certified Climate Smart Communities and implement projects that advance that state’s climate-change goals, the DEC said.

The program is jointly sponsored by seven state agencies: the DEC, NYSERDA, New York Power Authority, as well as the state Departments of State, Health, Transportation, and Public Service. 

The program supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires New York to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 85 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Since the program’s inception, DEC has awarded more than $50 million to municipalities in support of local climate mitigation and adaptation projects, the department said. 

The 2021 Climate Smart Communities Grant awards are as follows.

Central New York

The Town of Cazenovia will use $232,000 in funding for stormwater-flood mitigation. This project addresses two locations in the town where the existing stormwater infrastructure is increasingly unable to capture and convey runoff from intense rainfall events. Work includes the removal and replacement of collapsed and inadequate culverts and improperly located catch basins and storm piping to increase flow capture, removal of curbing and catch basins and repaving to provide sheet flow, a new storm sewer and swale system to intercept runoff, and a hydrodynamic separator unit for one site that will provide sediment removal to improve the quality of runoff water into a tributary of Cazenovia Lake. 

The Town of Geddes received a grant of $219,000 for improvements at the Westvale Plaza. The town will implement a key recommendation from a recently adopted comprehensive plan to incorporate sidewalk extensions to Westvale Plaza and provide improved multi-modal connectivity between current and future developments along the corridor. Pedestrians are frequently observed attempting to cross busy intersections in this area and this route is used by bicyclists riding to and from the city of Syracuse. 

The Town of Manlius will use $22,000 in funding on climate-action plans. The town will develop two plans for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, including one that’s focused on government operations and a second one addressing emissions from the whole community.

Mohawk Valley

In the Mohawk Valley, the Town of Whitestown in Oneida County will use $210,000 for work on the third phase of the Sauquoit Creek Flood Bench. Phase three of the Sauquoit Creek channel and floodplain-restoration program involves the construction of three floodplain benches. These benches will reduce flood stage during extreme-weather events, cut impacts of flooding to town and village properties, and restore natural riverine processes by connecting Sauquoit Creek to its original floodplain. 

The Town of Oneonta will use a $14,000 award for a comprehensive-plan update. The town will update its 2014 plan to include sustainability, smart growth, and climate-resiliency elements. 

The Town of Otsego will also use its $14,000 grant for a comprehensive-plan update. The town will update its 2008 plan to include sustainability elements in alignment with the related Climate Smart Communities certification action and the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the DEC said.

Southern Tier

In the Southern Tier, the Town of Sherburne will use a $30,000 grant award to update its comprehensive plan. Town officials will update their 2004 plan to include sustainability and resiliency elements in alignment with the related Climate Smart Communities certification action.