OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz; John Romanik, city Parks Department; Alexis Tofil, city Youth & Recreation Coordinator; Scott Mekus, city Events Specialist: and Vince DeJoy, Director of Planning and Development for Dunkirk, pose with two new vehicles purchased by the city with a NYSERDA grant. Also pictured is Jonathan Mayr, NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities Coordinator at Southern Tier West and Aaron Germain, Governmental Customer Account Manager at LandPro Equipment LLC.

The city of Dunkirk now has two new John Deere Electric Gators, paid for through a $30,000 grant from NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program.

The new Gators were purchased through New York State contracts from LandPro Equipment in Falconer.

The city of Dunkirk’s Planning and Development Department successfully applied for the grant.

NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program is an opportunity for local governments to earn recognition and grant funding by demonstrating leadership in the area of clean energy.

NYSERDA has identified 10 high-impact actions that local governments can take to save money, create jobs, and improve the environment. Dunkirk completed high-impact actions that included the conversion of street lights to LED, training for improved energy code enforcement, participation in a program to support solar energy with the Community Solar Program, and the purchase of a zero-emission vehicle that is being used for code enforcement inspections.

By completing four of the ten high-impact actions, the City of Dunkirk was eligible for a $30,000 grant with no local cost share, to support the replacement of gas-powered vehicles in the parks, youth and recreation, and festivals departments with the electric Gators.

Mayor Kate Wdowiasz said, “This grant award from NYSERDA is a great example of how the City of Dunkirk is embracing innovation and sustainability to improve our community. By investing in clean energy initiatives like electric vehicles, we’re not only reducing our carbon footprint, but also creating long-term cost savings for our residents. I want to thank our Department of Planning & Development for their continued leadership in securing funding that helps move Dunkirk forward.”