The Town of Philipstown is participating in the relaunch of the Hudson Valley Community Power (HVCP) program, which provides our eligible residents and small businesses with access to renewable electricity supply at competitive rates.

On July 1, 2023, eligible participants will be able to power our homes and businesses with 50% renewable electricity through the relaunched HVCP program. The new default fixed rate will be $0.11240/kWh for residents and small commercial for 50% NYS renewable electricity supply.

What is Hudson Valley Community Power?

Formed in partnership with Joule Community Power, a division of Joule Assets, Inc. (Joule), Hudson Valley Community Power is a community choice aggregation (CCA) program that enables participating communities to leverage the collective buying power of their residents and small businesses to negotiate more favorable terms on their electricity supply, protect consumers, and support renewable generation sources. Community choice provides access to renewable electricity supply at competitive fixed rates. Participation also provides consumer protections, requires no action by those eligible to participate, and benefits appear directly on monthly Central Hudson bills.

Program Details

While all eligible residents and small businesses are automatically enrolled, they can choose not to participate. All eligible residents and small businesses will receive a letter in the mail in May 2023 explaining their options and how to change their participation choice or to opt out via phone, pre-paid opt-out card, or website form. Central Hudson continues to be responsible for electricity delivery, billing, and repair services for all utility account holders, regardless of their program participation.
Our municipality has selected Joule Community Power, a division of Joule Assets (CCA Program Administrator) to implement our community choice program. The program will relaunch with new pricing on July 1, 2023, which will remain stable for 24 months.
Our municipality has chosen the 50% Renewable Option as the default. Eligible residents and small businesses will automatically be enrolled in the 50% Renewable Option unless they choose another option or opt-out of the program. There are 3 fixed-rate electricity supply options under our program:

1. 100% New York State Renewable Option, 100% of your electricity supply is matched by Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) provided by New York State renewable power plants (hydropower, wind, solar)

Supply Rate: $0.12440/kWh

2. 50% New York State Renewable Option, 50% of your electricity supply is matched by Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) provided by New York State renewable power                           plants (hydropower, wind, solar)

Supply Rate: $0.11240/kWh

3. Standard option, mixture of fossil fuels, nuclear, and some renewable energy.

Supply Rate: $0.09870/kWh

Eligible residents and small businesses may choose between these supply options, opt-out or opt-into the program at any time by calling (845) 859-9099 ext. 2 or online at www.hudsonvalleycommunitypower.com/secureform and submit your information through the Enrollment/Change Form.
For all options, Direct Energy Services, LLC will be your new electricity supplier, beginning on your first meter-read after July 1, 2023. The new rate will remain fixed for a 24 month period through June 2025.
Questions?

Please contact the Hudson Valley Community Power Team with any questions about the program or any mailings you receive at (845) 859-9099 ext. 2 or info@hudsonvalleycommunitypower.com.

To view the program FAQ, visit: www.hudsonvalleycommunitypower.com/faq

To view more details about rates and offerings visit: www.hudsonvalleycommunitypower.com/rates

To attend an in-person info session in our community to learn more about the program, check the calendar: www.hudsonvalleycommunitypower.com/events

What to Expect During Opt-Out Period Webinar

Town of Philipstown Opt-Out Package

Town of Philipstown HVCP Fact Sheet

Filed under: Announcements, CCA, Climate Smart Philipstown, Utilities | Comments Off

• Information regarding Central Hudson Billing Issues & Who to contact 
• Presentation given by Laurie Wheelock from the Public Utility Law Project
• Video of the March 2, 2023 Meeting at which the presentation was made
• Letter from Central Hudson

If you are concerned that there is something wrong with your bill:

1. Try to speak with Central Hudson first
2.  If there is no resolution or you can not reach CH’s customer service team, you have a right to file a complaint against Central Hudson with the Department of Public Service by calling 800-342-3377 or filing online at https://www3.dps.ny.gov/ocs/itxgate.nsf/wdps_complaint.xsp

Filed under: Announcements, Meetings | Comments Off

Trail Closure Notice

The Breakneck Ridge Trailhead will be CLOSED from March 1, 2023 through July 1, 2023, as work begins to relocate the trailhead further up the ridge. Hikers wishing to access the viewsheds at the peaks of Breakneck Ridge will need to take alternate routes, including Wilkinson Trail to Nimham Trail, or the Cornish/Brook/Undercliff Bypass/Undercliff trails from the Washburn parking lot. Descent through the construction zone will not be permitted. For more information visit: https://hhft.org/news/announcements/

Filed under: Announcements, Closings, Events, Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, MTA / Metro North Railroad, New York State, Parks | Comments Off

The Philipstown Town Board will hold a Budget Workshop on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 7:30 pm at the Philipstown Town Hall, 238 Main Street, Cold Spring, NY.

Filed under: Announcements, Budget, Meetings, Town Board, Town Hall, Workshop | Comments Off

On Wednesday, May 24, 2023 there will be an information session on the Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Electricity Supply Program which will relaunch this summer. The meeting will take place at the Philipstown Town Hall, 238 Main Street, Cold Spring, NY at 7:00 pm. For more information, please see the flyer here.

Filed under: Announcements, CCA, Climate Smart Philipstown, Events, Meetings, Town Board, Town Hall, Utilities | Comments Off

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY given that the Town Board of the Town of Philipstown will conduct a Public Hearing on May 17, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, 238 Main Street, Cold Spring, New York.  The purpose of the Public Hearing is to hear comments for/against the Stormwater Management Annual Report.

A copy of the report is on file in the Town Clerk’s Office and available at the link below.

MS4 Annual Stormwater Report 2023

BY ORDER OF THE TOWN BOARD

OF THE TOWN OF PHILIPSTOWN

DATED:  May 10, 2023

Tara K. Percacciolo

Town Clerk

Filed under: Announcements, Meetings, Public Hearing, Stormwater, Town Board, Town Hall | Comments Off

The Town of Philipstown, along with the Village of Cold Spring & the Village of Nelsonville held a Joint Info Session on the Hudson Highland Fjord Trail on May 8, 2023. To view the recording of the meeting on youtube, please click the link below.

Joint Info Session on Hudson Highland Fjord Trail with Villages of Cold Spring & Nelsonville 

Filed under: Announcements, Events, Haldane Central School District, Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, Meetings, MTA / Metro North Railroad, New York State, Parks, Town Board, Village of Cold Spring | Comments Off

Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Joint Public Session Philipstown Resident Question and Ranking Results

The Villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville and the Town of Philipstown are hosting a joint public session on Monday, May 8, 2023 at 7:00pm at the Haldane School Auditorium related to the proposed Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail. In order to ensure that this joint public session is organized around questions that are of greatest importance to local community members, we asked residents to submit questions and prioritize which questions will be asked to New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation officials and to the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail representatives at the meeting. The following is a report on the results of this community process.

● Residents of Philipstown, Cold Spring and Nelsonville were asked to submit questions between April 12 at 9am to April 19 by 5pm. Residents could submit questions through an online form, by email, or by hard copy to the Village of Cold Spring;

● 217 total questions were submitted; 210 were submitted by Philipstown, Cold Spring and Nelsonville residents. Questions from non-residents or from those who did not identify their residence were eliminated. As such, 210 questions proceeded to ranking.

● Residents were asked to rank their top five priority questions from the 210 submitted questions between April 21 at 9am to April 28 by 5pm through an online form, by email, or by hard copy to the Village of Cold Spring;

● There were 146 responses submitted during the ranking process; 139 were counted. Seven were removed (no name included, non-Philipstown resident, duplicative votes, or no priorities were identified);

● Questions that were identified as a resident’s first priority were assigned five points, second priority was assigned four points, third priority was assigned three points, fourth priority was assigned two points, and fifth priority was assigned one point;

● Questions were ranked in order, with the questions that received the most points the highest ranked and the questions that received the least points the lowest ranked;

● The number of votes for each question was also tallied. 140 questions received votes; 70 questions received no votes;

● The questions that received votes were proposed by 30 different residents of Philipstown, 23 Village of Cold Spring residents, and 5 Nelsonville residents.

Please find below, links to the full 210 question set, with rankings, as well a subset of the top 15-ranked questions prioritized for addressing at the May 8th Joint Session. All 210 questions will be provided to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation officials and to the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Staff, as well as to elected officials of the three municipalities for the public record.

Full 210 Ranked Questions – Joint Session on Fjord Trail – May 8, 2023

Top 15 Ranked Questions – Joint Session on Fjord Trail – May 8, 2023

Filed under: Announcements, Events, Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, Meetings, MTA / Metro North Railroad, New York State, Parks, Town Board, Village of Cold Spring | Comments Off

PHILIPSTOWN PLANNING BOARD

Public Hearing – May 18th, 2023

The Planning Board of the Town of Philipstown, New York will hold a continuation of a public hearing on Thursday, May 18^th, 2023 starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Philipstown Town Hall, 238 Main St. Cold Spring, NY 10516 to consider the following application:

Hudson Highland Reserve Conservation Subdivision, Route 9 & Horton Road, Cold Spring, NY 10516, TM# 17.-1-76.112, 17.-1-77.2, 17.-1-39, 17.-1-76.21, 17.-1-76.111 & 17.-1-48                                                            

The Applicant, Horton Road LLC, is seeking Planning Board approval of a Conservation Subdivision (see Town of Philipstown Zoning Code Sections §175-19 thru §175-21) proposed on 210 acres east of Route 9 between Horton Road and East Mountain Road North. The proposal involves 24 residential lots, each approximately 1 acre, to be served by individual wells and community wastewater treatment facilities. Primary access would be from a new non-gated access road off of Route 9. Approximately 163 acres are proposed to be preserved as permanent open space through a Conservation Easement.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

At said hearing all persons will have the right to be heard. Copies of the application, plat map, and other related materials may be seen in the Office of the Planning Board at the Building Department, 2 Cedar Street, Cold Spring (behind Town Hall).  Prior contact with Cheryl Rockett is required to arrange access to the documents, at (845) 265-5202. The latest documents related to this application can also be viewed using the following link:

https://sites.google.com/philipstown.com/planningboard/mar

Dated at Philipstown, New York, this 20^th day of April 2023.

Neal Zuckerman, Chair

Filed under: Announcements, Events, Meetings, Planning Board, Public Hearing, Town Hall | Comments Off

PHILIPSTOWN PLANNING BOARD

Public Hearing – May 18th, 2023

The Planning Board of the Town of Philipstown, New York will hold a public hearing regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (“DEIS”) of the below described project on Thursday, May 18^th, 2023 at their regular monthly meeting starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Philipstown Town Hall, 238 Main St. Cold Spring, NY 10516 to consider the following application:

Garrison Golf Club PDD/Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, 2015 Route 9 Garrison, NY 10524 TM# 60.-1-59.2 & 59.3

Garrison Properties, LLC and HVSF (the “Applicant”) are requesting amendments to the Town of Philipstown’s Garrison Golf Club Planned Development District (GGCPDD – established 2005) and Rural Conservation District (RC) (the “Proposed Action”) to allow the relocation of HVSF from the Boscobel House and Gardens (also in Philipstown) to the Garrison Golf Club (2015 Route 9, Garrison). In addition to approval of the proposed amendments to the GGCPDD and RC districts from the Philipstown Town Board, the Proposed Action also requires site plan, subdivision, and special use permit approval from the Philipstown Planning Board, and freshwater wetland permit approval from the Philipstown Conservation Board.

The Applicant prepared a DEIS dated April 10, 2023 and the Town of Philipstown Planning Board adopted a Final Scope for the DEIS on November 17, 2022 pursuant to 6 NYCRR §617(8)(a) and (b) of the SEQRA Regulations. The accepted DEIS and other application materials on the project are available in hard copy format at the Office of the Planning Board at the Building Department, 2 Cedar Street, Cold Spring, NY. Prior contact with Cheryl Rockett is required to arrange access to the documents, at (845) 265-5202. The DEIS materials may also be viewed in electronic format on the Town of Philipstown’s website at the following link:

https://sites.google.com/philipstown.com/planningboard/notices/hvsf-deis-materials

At said hearing all persons will have the right to be heard.

Dated at Philipstown, New York, this 20^th day of April, 2023

Neal Zuckerman, Chair

Filed under: Announcements, Meetings, Planning Board, Public Hearing, Town Hall | Comments Off

The Philipstown Town Board will hold a workshop on Wednesday, April 26th at 7:30 pm in the Philipstown Town Hall, 238 Main Street, Cold Spring. The agenda can be found here.

Filed under: Announcements, Meetings, Stormwater, Town Board, Town Hall, Workshop | Comments Off

We would like to thank all of the Philipstown residents who submitted questions for the joint public session related to the proposed Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail on Monday, May 8, 2023 at 7:00pm at the Haldane School Auditorium.  Residents submitted 210 questions!
In order to ensure that this joint public session is organized around questions of greatest importance to local community members, we are asking Philipstown residents to prioritize the questions which will be addressed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation officials and the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail representatives at the forum.

Residents can participate in ranking submitted questions from April 21 at 9am to April 28 by 5pm by visiting https://bit.ly/HHFTPriorities.  Alternatively, a list of submitted questions and a ranking form will also be available at your Village or Town office to complete in person.

List of Submitted Questions

Filed under: Announcements, Events, Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, Meetings, Parks, Village of Cold Spring | Comments Off