The train station's long-awaited solar canopies could begin generating electricity within weeks — but the electric-vehicle chargers beneath them will sit without power until late November, according to the Sustainability Committee's March 22 minutes. Third-party commissioning of the canopy-mounted array is expected to wrap up by the end of March, and a formal permission to operate from Con Ed should follow in early April, the minutes state. The chargers are on a slower track: an update from Con Ed appended to the minutes as a March 25 clarification sets an in-service date and installation specifications for the 100 kVA transformer needed to power them, with power not available until Nov. 25, 2026. Work that does not involve the utility can proceed before then, and the committee is awaiting an updated installation schedule from PISO, the project's contractor. The array drew some unusual attention this month: a dead Canadian goose was found atop canopy No. 3, facing the train station's second-floor east window, and — out of concern over possible bird flu — removal was scheduled with a licensed wildlife contractor. According to the minutes, the SolSystems representative thanked the committee for a photo from committee member David Goldman showing the bird's location, saying it was very helpful in quickly securing the removal service. A second solar effort, a canopy at the Department of Public Works, is regaining momentum after Rivertown Solar delivered the last document required for its bid on March 5. The next steps, per the minutes: nailing down a NY-SUN incentive of about $39K before it drops again, installing new electric service to handle the system's roughly 60 kW output, and ordering canopy kits that take three to four months to arrive. The roughly $300K project's cost is covered by a state grant, and the goal is to complete installation by Labor Day — a target the minutes hedge with a parenthetical "(maybe)." On the recycling front, the food-scrap program formally opened to all Croton residents on March 19, committee member Cheryl Wong told the group, publicized through the village's newsletters and social media sites, an email blast to current participants, and notices to the Gazette and the Chronicle. Wong, who coordinates the program, also plans a textile-recycling collection at Earth Day, after last year's effort gathered 1,283 pounds of material, and she is adding a clothing-exchange component to her booth in partnership with the local Girl Scouts group. The state's Clean Energy Communities program, dark since November 2024, is returning this spring after a 15-month hiatus — and Croton enters the revival with a strong record: when the program shut down, Croton had the most points, making it the No. 1 Clean Energy Community in the state, the minutes note. NYSERDA issued a preliminary description of the new High Impact Actions on March 4 — the tasks communities perform to earn points and grants — and sought input through a survey. Chair Lindsay Audin joined a March 11 briefing that fleshed out the revived program. It indicated the same types of small grants would continue, such as heat pump installations or campaigns, and that Croton could be eligible for one of three $60K grants to be awarded across the seven Hudson Valley counties for performing several of the new actions. Those actions may include hosting or installing a battery energy storage system larger than 25 kW on municipal property; permitting one larger than 2 MW anywhere in the village; hosting or owning a photovoltaic system of 5 to 100+ kW on municipal property; permitting a PV system larger than 1 MW; creating community-wide fossil-fuel leaf-blower regulations; creating a Clean Energy Advisory Task Force; or performing a Clean Energy Innovation Demonstration, which could involve an "alternative low carbon fuel" such as the village's renewable diesel pilot test. The state's task-force language specifies that its "members should have a background in clean energy, sustainability, or other applicable fields," with at least two members who are elected officials or municipal staff. The committee believes it has likely already performed six — maybe seven — of the actions, though neither the points assigned to each nor the number needed to win a $60K grant has been determined. Mayor Brian Pugh suggested the committee seek points for Croton's relationship with Columbia University, one of whose buildings receives community solar credits on its electric bill as a subscriber to the train station PV system. Audin agreed to pursue the opportunity once the state offers more detail. A proposed 5 MW battery storage project also moved forward. During a March 10 Zoom with Village Manager Bryan Healy, Pugh, Deputy Mayor Len Simon and Audin, attendees determined that a competitive bid on the project would not be needed, but that conditions in the developer's draft letter of intent needed changes. They concluded the developer should first act as a consultant on the project's development, under a not-to-exceed fee that would be absorbed into its leasing proposal if the project proceeds — meaning no village funds would have been spent — with the village paying the fee only if it declined to move ahead. That understanding would let the developer begin the procedures needed to lock in the essential hosting capacity. Audin is to work with Healy to convert the letter-of-intent draft into a consulting agreement. In new business, guest Corey Cummings, a new Croton resident, summarized his three-page report on balcony solar systems and the pending "Solar Up Now New York" (SUNNY) Act (S8512-A/A9111). His bottom line, as the minutes recount it: an interesting option, but vendors first need to show their products meet all UL, NEC and other safety certifications, and a New York State law allowing the systems must still pass. A 600-watt setup tilted for maximum output might save about $170 a year but cost more than $2,000; mounted vertically, it might save less than $100 a year. Members also voiced concern about hanging 100-plus pounds of panels off apartment and condominium balcony railings. The report will be posted on the village web page, with a suggestion that a battery-based "solar generator" offers an alternative that avoids the electrical-safety issues. This year's Croton Earth Day, set for Saturday, May 2, at Vassallo Park, will be managed by the village Recreation Department rather than the Conservation Advisory Council, and will run four hours — noon to 4 p.m. — instead of the usual six, changes the minutes attribute to CAC personnel changes and a desire to focus on other activities. Rather than staff a full exhibit, Jon Katz and Goldman will attach the committee's banner to Wong's textile-collection booth, where flyers on the food-scrap program and the train station project will be available; Audin will arrange for the flyers and banner to be picked up beforehand. The committee had other news to share as well. Croton100 unveiled its third sustainability activities quilt at the March 11 Village Board meeting, and the people who created it were filmed by the producers of "The Little Town That Could," a documentary that will be shown at several national and international film festivals later this year before local screenings. Goldman photographed the Conservation Advisory Council's Feb. 28 Repair Café at the Croton library — images the minutes say support the village's Silver status in the Climate Smart Community program. The Business Council of Westchester has requested a tour of the train station canopies on April 14, to be led by Mayor Pugh and Sustainable Westchester at the end of BCW's Clean Energy Conference in Ossining. And Pugh said an upcoming Village Board meeting would take up seeking state support for future funding of the CEC and other locally beneficial programs, such as CHIPS. The committee meets again April 26 at 10 a.m. In between, the markers to watch are a permission to operate in early April — the final step before the train station arrays deliver power — the food-scrap program's first weeks open to all residents, and Earth Day at Vassallo Park on May 2.