Dryden seeks information for heat pump grant

The town of Dryden is seeking information from residents who installed heat pumps in the past year, which will help town officials apply for a grant.

The Dryden Town Board recently began a town-wide clean heating and cooling community campaign. The campaign encourages “installation of geothermal or air source heat pumps, and heat pump hot water heaters to reduce pollution and save energy,” according to a release.

Town residents who recently became owners of a new heat pump are asked to fill out a form. People can also email Chris Skawsky, the clean energy community coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, at cjs359@cornell.edu. All information will be kept anonymous.

The information and statistics gathered will be sent to New York State Energy Development and Research Authority (NYSERDA). The state program is offering a grant to aid residents in using cleaner energy. The town’s release said that Dryden could earn up to $25,000 in grant funding for documenting heat pump installations.

“This is our second community campaign in this terrific program,” said Alice Walsh Green, the town’s climate smart coordinator. “With heat pumps, residents get even more indoor heating in the winter, better indoor air quality, money savings on their heating bills and air conditioning in the summer. And municipalities benefit, too. By recording the number of installations with NYSERDA, the town qualifies for funds that can be used for energy saving in municipal operations.”

The town executed a successful clean heating and cooling campaign in 2021. It led to Dryden officials being awarded a $5,000 grant, which covered the cost of a plug-in hybrid vehicle to reduce fuel costs for the town’s code enforcement department, the release said.

According to Green, the town has received over $130,000 of NYSERDA grant funding in the past five years.

The town has used grant funding for energy-saving improvements in its operations, including the installation of an electric vehicle charging station at the town hall and switching the street lights to LED. The town is currently in the process of insulating and installing heat pumps at the department of public works building. Aside from separate projects, the town hall has a geothermal heat pump system and solar panels to supply electricity at the town’s main office and highway barn.

“We want to show residents that the town is taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs in the same way we are encouraging them to do at home,” Green said.

Dryden Dispatch appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Town of Dryden holding donative drive

The Town of Dryden is collecting items during the month of March for its donation drive.

The town’s food drive is in honor of National Nutrition Month. The most requested items are canned soup, laundry soap, dish soap, peanut butter, dry pasta, rice, canned tuna, chicken, tuna, fruit and vegetables.

The dropoff location is at the town hall at 93 E. Main St. All donations will stay in the Dryden community.

Village of Dryden announces planning board vacancies

The village of Dryden has three spots open on its planning board.

The village’s planning board members serve five-year terms and receive an annual stipend of $360. Board members are required by New York state every year to enroll in four hours of board training.

Members of the village planning board are appointed by Mayor Mike Murphy and approved by the board of trustees. People interested in joining the planning board can send a letter of interest to villageclerk@Dryden-ny.org or mail it to Mayor Mike Murphy, Village of Dryden, 16 South Street, P.O. Box, 820, Dryden, NY 13053.

Town provides list of service areas for Dryden Fiber

As the town’s Dryden Fiber project continues to grow, more service areas have become available. The following areas are now available for Dryden Fiber installation:

Hamlet of Varna: Dryden Road (north side of road between 1056 Dryden Rd. and 1196 Dryden Rd.), Dryden Road (south side of road between 1061 Dryden Rd. and 1101 Dryden Rd.), Turkey Hill Road (both sides from Dryden Road intersection to 102 Turkey Hill Rd.), Observatory Circle, Mount Pleasant from Observatory Circle to Deerhaven Drive, and Deerhaven Drive.

Route 13/Route 366 intersection: 1274 Dryden Rd. to 1302 Dryden Rd., Hall Woods Road and Hall Road.

Etna: Various parcels east of Main Street and south of Etna Lane.

Village of Freeville: Tanbark Circle and Union, Liberty, Factory and Railroad Streets.

Yellow Barn Road Neighborhood: Ferguson Road (153 to 462), Yellow Barn Road (69 to 126), 114 Irish Settlement Rd. and 1 Foothill Rd.

For information, questions or service maps, go to drydenfiber.com.

Egg hunt in Dryden is March 30

The Town of Dryden Recreation Department announced that the annual egg hunt is scheduled for March 30 in the village of Dryden.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. and will take place at Montgomery Park on Elm Street. The Dryden Fire Department is bringing the Easter Bunny to the egg hunt as a special guest.

More Easter-based programming will be held at Southworth Library in the village at 10:30 a.m.