Climate Smart Communities
Sign in

Climate Smart Communities Certification Report

Download PDF Version

bronze Certified

This is the Climate Smart Communities Certification Report of Lancaster, Village (Erie). Lancaster, Village (Erie) is a bronze certified Climate Smart Community.

Lancaster, Village (Erie) was certified on September 19, 2022 with 139 points earned from 20 completed actions. Listed below is information regarding Lancaster, Village (Erie)’s Climate Smart Communities efforts and materials associated with its certified actions.

The certification for Lancaster, Village (Erie) will expire on September 30, 2027.

Contact Information

The designated Climate Smart Communities contact for Lancaster, Village (Erie) is:

Name:Michael Stegmeier
Title:Clerk and Treasurer
Address:5423 Broadway
Lancaster, NY 14086

Actions Implemented

Each approved action and supporting documentation for which Lancaster, Village (Erie) was approved for in 2022 appears below. Note: Standards for the actions below may have changed and the documentation listed may no longer satisfy requirements for that action.

  • 1. Build a climate-smart community.

    1.1 Pass a Resolution Adopting the CSC Pledge

    4 Points

    Program Summary:

    PE1 Action: CSC Task Force

    20 Points
    Bronze Mandatory Silver Mandatory

    Program Summary: The Village of Lancaster Board established the Climate Smart Communities task force at its meeting on October 28, 2019. The relevant minutes from this meeting have been uploaded, with the portion addressing the Climate Smart Communities task force highlighted. A list of the current Climate Smart Communities task force members and their affiliations/organizations has also been uploaded, as have minutes from the task force meetings held on June 2, 2022 and February 15, 2022. These meeting minutes include a list of meeting attendees.

    PE1 Action: CSC Coordinator

    10 Points
    Bronze Mandatory Silver Mandatory

    Program Summary: Michael Stegmeier was appointed as the Village of Lancaster's Climate Smart Communities coordinator by resolution from the Village Board on August 22, 2016. The resolution confirming his appointment has been uploaded. Michael has been active in helping lead the Village Climate Smart Communities activities. An executive memo outlining the coordinator's responsibilities has been uploaded, as have the minutes from the most recent CSC task force meeting to demonstrate Michael's active engagement in the role.

    PE1 Action: National/Regional Climate Program

    3 Points

    Program Summary: Lancaster has been actively engaged in NYSERDA's Clean Energy Communities program and has attained designation as a Clean Energy Community. The uploaded documentation includes a screenshot from the Clean Energy Communities website showing the Village of Lancaster as a designated CEC and listing the actions that have been completed through the program. Documentation also includes the designation award notification from NYSERDA dated August 31,2021 demonstrating continued engagement with the program within the past year; as does our pursuit of Climate Smart Communities designation.

    PE1 Action: Partnerships with Other Entities

    3 Points

    Program Summary: Mayor Ruda recently worked to create a Climate Smart Committee for the Association of Erie County Governments (AOECGCSC). This committee of several local officials (list included in attached minutes) developed a survey to see what Climate Smart initiatives the Association needed more information about related to planning, programs, funding, and resources for local governments. (Survey and Results are attached). Based on that survey the AOECGCSC developed information related to electric vehicle charging equipment that was distributed at the June AOECG meeting along with information about funding from NYSERDA, DEC, and the local utilities' Make Ready programs (National Grid and NYSEG). The document that was developed is attached [AOECG_ZEV sheet]. This committee remains active, and will continue to leverage the results of the survey to inform how to best support local municipal leadership. Because of this ongoing collaborative activity, there are no additional reports associated with this committee. Additional attachments include minutes from the last three meetings.

  • 2. Inventory emissions, set goals, and plan for climate action.

    PE2 Action: Government Operations GHG Inventory

    16 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: Students from a University at Buffalo Environmental Design Workshop completed a government operations greenhouse gas inventory for the Village of Lancaster in May 2021. The project was overseen by Clean Energy Communities coordinators from the UB Regional Institute. The inventory quantified Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions from government operations for the years 2016 and 2019. It examined GHG emissions from electricity usage at municipal buildings, natural gas usage at municipal buildings, gasoline and diesel fuel usage in the municipal fleet, and electricity usage for streetlights. The report describes the methodology used to calculate each portion of overall GHG emissions. The inventory has been made available to the public on the Village of Lancaster's website at the following link: https://www.lancastervillage.org/uploads/1/1/8/2/118246222/ub_ghg_emissions_inventory_village_of_lancaster_12_may_2021.pdf That link can also be accessed through the Village's Climate Smart webpage: https://www.lancastervillage.org/climate-smart.html

  • 3. Decrease energy use.

    PE3 Action: Government Building Energy Audits

    16 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: Danforth completed a detailed, ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit for the Village of Lancaster in December 2017, covering all three municipal buildings. Baseline electric and natural gas consumption was calculated and used to inform the audit. Based on these consumption figures, the audit offers a number of recommendations to reduce energy usage, including interior lighting retrofits, lighting control retrofits, building envelope improvements and boiler replacements. Estimated costs and savings calculations are offered for each recommendation. The Village is requesting 16 points for this action, as the audit covers all three (100% of) municipal buildings. Those three buildings are listed with their square footage in the report (p. 4). The uploaded benchmarking report also lists all three municipal buildings and their square footage.

    PE3 Action: Interior Lighting Upgrades

    2 Points

    Program Summary: The Village is submitting documentation for this action based on total square footage of buildings that have their lighting converted to LED lighting. Over 16% of building square footage was converted to LED lighting (see p. 2 of uploaded documentation). Lighting upgrades were performed by Village DPW staff and documentation (including total square footage, square footage impacted by lighting upgrades, and proof of purchase and installation) have been provided by DPW Superintendent. Each attached voucher also states what lighting project the invoices support.

    PE3 Action: HVAC Upgrades

    5 Points

    Program Summary: The Village of Lancaster replaced old, inefficient boilers with new, high-efficiency boilers at both the municipal building and the DPW building, covering nearly 90% of municipal building square footage. The installation occurred in September 2019. The uploaded benchmarking report displays the total building square footage across the village's entire building portfolio and how much of the total floor area the municipal building and DPW building make up. The final invoice for the boilers from Parise Mechanical has been uploaded to evidence their purchase and installation. Information on the old boilers from the 2017 municipal building energy audit conducted by Danforth has been uploaded. Information on the new boilers (see LAARS NeoTherm Boiler) has also been uploaded, which shows that the units reach over 95% thermal efficiency. Other HVAC equipment was also installed with the boilers (as seen in the final invoice), but the Village has insufficient information about the efficiency of the existing equipment and is therefore not looking to claim credit for those installations.

    PE3 Action: Benchmarking - Municipal Buildings

    4 Points

    Program Summary: The Village of Lancaster has completed the Benchmarking – Municipal Buildings and Benchmarking - Advanced Reporting High-Impact Actions through the Clean Energy Communities program. Approval of these actions from NYSERDA has been uploaded. Benchmarking reports for the years 2019 and 2020 are publicly available on the Village of Lancaster's website at the following link: https://www.lancastervillage.org/climate-smart.html

    PE3 Action: LED Street Lights

    12 Points

    Program Summary: Lancaster has completed the Decorative LED Street Lights and Cobra Head LED Street Lights High-Impact Actions through the Clean Energy Communities program. Approval of these actions from NYSERDA has been uploaded.

    PE3 Action: Energy Code Enforcement Training

    5 Points

    Program Summary: The Village of Lancaster has completed the Energy Code Enforcement Training High-Impact Action through the Clean Energy Communities program. Approval of this action from NYSERDA has been uploaded.

  • 6. Implement climate-smart land use.

    PE6 Action: Complete Streets Policy

    4 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: The Village Board adopted a complete streets policy by resolution at the March 14, 2022 board meeting. The meeting minutes from this meeting demonstrating adoption of the complete streets policy have been uploaded. The policy includes all of the elements that the action description says should be included, including a definition of complete streets, potential design features (see Design Standards), intention (see introductory paragraphs), exceptions, performance measures and reporting, and steps for implementation.

    PE6 Action: Infrastructure for Biking and Walking

    7 Points

    Program Summary: As part of the West Main street extension project (https://www.lancastervillage.org/west-main-street-road-extension.html) West Main Street in downtown Lancaster was expanded to re-connect historic West Main St. between Central Avenue and Aurora Street. This project included expanding sidewalks (3 points), new bike parking amenities (2 points), as well as improved signage for pedestrians and cyclists (2 points). This information can be seen at the link above, in the attached site plan documents, as well as the W Main Typical Section DRAFT. Photos to show the completed project elements can be found in the uploaded document titled West Main Street Photos as well as the links to the news articles below. For context, a photo of West Main Street before the extension project has also been uploaded. WGRZ News Article about the opening of the West Main Street project: https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/village-of-lancaster-main-st-extension-complete/71-173b8283-9964-4f43-8e5a-1befd3ba5c69 Buffalo News Article about the opening of West Main Street: https://buffalonews.com/news/local/60-years-in-the-making-lancasters-west-main-street-is-transformed/article_a99f6e70-e59b-11eb-90a4-bb05eefe00be.html Examples of other new bicycle parking (see Bicycle Parking - photographs) and bicycle lanes/signage (see Bicycle Lanes and Signage - photographs) in the village has also been uploaded.

    PE6 Action: Traffic Calming

    3 Points

    Program Summary: The West Main Street Extension project (https://www.lancastervillage.org/west-main-street-road-extension.html) includes several traffic calming elements including the addition of a roundabout where West Main Street and Aurora Street meet. Several public information sessions as well as surveys and studies have been incorporated into the planning process for the installation of the West Main and Aurora roundabout. Public Hearing information can be found in the attached "Immersion Summary notes" document. This document was shared with the Village after the initial public comment "immersion" exercise led by the Village's consultant team. This exercise included several community stakeholders including businesses from West Main Street. Additional information about the public process including a traffic study and roundabout surveys can be found at: https://www.lancastervillage.org/downtown-lancaster-roundabout.html. Post project information (study/survey) is currently unavailable as the Village is in the process of installing two additional roundabouts near the existing West Main and Aurora project. A full post construction survey that includes all of the updated intersections will be performed upon completion of the two additional roundabouts on Central & Pleasant Ave. and Aurora & Pleasant Ave. Additional Traffic Calming measures along the < 1 mile section of West Main Street include bump outs, removal of diagonal parking for parallel parking, change of a one-way to a two-way street, reconfigured traffic lanes and sidewalks, and raised crosswalks. These measures can be found on the attached "Site Plan Board" as well as the "Typical Section DRAFT" documents. Photos of these measures, and of the street before the extension project, are also attached (see West Main Street Traffic Calming and West Main Street - Before Extension Project).

    PE6 Action: Local Forestry Program

    6 Points

    Program Summary: In 2019, the Village of Lancaster received a grant from the NYS DEC's Urban and Community Forestry program to conduct a tree inventory and create a tree management plan. The resulting tree inventory and plan, conducted by Davey Research Group, has been uploaded (see lancaster_tree_mgmt_plan_final). Village DPW employees have implemented the use of TreeKeeper inventory management software, which allows them to keep the inventory current, with records of work needed, work done, photos, and other items necessary to maintain good health for the Village trees. The Village is requesting 3 points for conducting a tree inventory. The Village of Lancaster has applied for and received grants from NYS DEC's Urban and Community Forestry program to conduct a tree inventory and develop a tree management plan (2019), and for necessary tree maintenance (2021). The announcement of the 2021 grant is attached here as documentation of their most recent participation in NYS DEC Urban Forestry Programs; the Village is listed on page 3. A newspaper report on the community forum held in conjunction with the tree maintenance grant award is also uploaded, providing additional information on the two Urban Forestry grants the Village has received. The Village is requesting 2 points for participation in one of the state's forestry programs. Lancaster received designation as a Tree City USA in February 2022. A letter from the Arbor Day Foundation dated February 22, 2022 indicating this designation has been uploaded. The Village is requesting 1 point for participation in Tree City USA.

  • 7. Enhance community resilience to climate change.

    PE7 Action: Climate Vulnerability Assessment

    8 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: In 2019, the Village of Lancaster hired D&S Consulting to assist with a Climate Vulnerability Assessment (titled Extreme Weather Vulnerability Report) for the village, addressing the concerns of excessive rain/flooding and extreme snow events, both of which have been increasing in frequency and severity. This assessment, uploaded below, was supplemented by village personnel, who compiled and updated documents and procedures related to the levees along Cayuga Creek providing a single source of information addressing monitoring, repair needs, and potential warning and evacuation plans for the village. This report was intended to align with the DEC's requirements for this action, as outlined on page 11 of the report. The report addresses flooding hazards (p. 12-16, 19-22), the potential impacts from excessive snowfall during winter months (p. 6-10), the safety of existing bridge infrastructure (p. 17-19), and the resiliency of municipal facilities (p. 19-21). The Village is requesting 8 points for this action for covering one to three climate hazards for the entire geographic area of the community. The public was engaged in the planning process through an advisory committee, which met during the plan development and which included members of the public. Notes from advisory committee meetings and list of committee members have been uploaded. The Village Board accepted the Assessment at its meeting on January 25, 2021. The minutes from that meeting are uploaded.

    PE7 Action: Climate-resilient Hazard Mitigation Plan

    4 Points

    Program Summary: Erie County recently led the development of a County-wide Hazard Mitigation Plan update, and the Village of Lancaster actively participated in the process. Volume I of the plan was completed in September 2021. The resolution from the Erie County Legislature accepting the plan and notification of plan approval from the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services has been uploaded (see Erie County HMP Resolution and FEMA Approval). The section of the plan focused on the Village of Lancaster (Section 9.32) has been uploaded, as has the resolution from the Village Board accepting the plan. The impacts of climate change are referenced throughout the Plan, including in the ranking of hazards (Section 5.3), discussion of extreme temperatures (Page 5.4.5-11), and the discussion of future flood risk and project future rainfall (Page 5.4.6-21). The plan also references the Climate Smart Communities program in detail in Section 6 Mitigation Strategies. Sections 5.3, 5.4.5 and 5.4.6 of the Plan have been uploaded for reference. The website for the full plan can be found at the following link: https://www.eriecountynyhmp.com/draft-plans/

    PE7 Action: Shade Structures Policy

    4 Points

    Program Summary: In March 2022 the Village of Lancaster Board of Trustees held a public hearing and adopted a shade structures policy to ensure that shade structures are utilized in public spaces to provide protection and relief from high heat conditions. The policy involves evaluation of current municipal-owned properties to determine opportunities for installation and suitability of structures, increased attention to use of trees to provide shade, and incorporation of the policy into future Comprehensive Planning processes. The policy took effect immediately. The text of the policy and the board minutes from when the policy was adopted have been uploaded.

  • 9. Inform and inspire the public.

    PE9 Action: Social Media

    3 Points

    Program Summary: The Village of Lancaster has used its social media accounts to promote a number of initiatives related to the Climate Smart Communities program, including the GHG inventory (July 6, 2022), Tree City USA designation (April 5, 2022), the shade structure and complete streets policies (March 11, 2022), the tree maintenance grant from the NYSDEC (February 15, 2022), and the completion of West Main Street improvements for pedestrians and traffic calming (July 15, 2021). The Village's Facebook account is available at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/VillageofLancasterNY

Climate Smart Communities