GOP Candidates: Sustainability Important to Town's Development

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by Republican candidates for Township Council Carl Suraci and Greg Burchette. 

To the Editor

As we mentioned last week in the first Campaign Corner letter, the intent of these columns is to highlight the accomplishments of the Republican led Township Committee over the last several years. This week we would like to discuss the success of Hillsborough’s Sustainability Program and our vision for a reasonable approach to leveraging green technology and other sustainable initiatives for generating taxpayer savings.

Since the inception of the Sustainable Hillsborough Steering Committee in 2006, Hillsborough Township has strived to implement a sustainability development plan, which covers the important economic, social, and environmental conditions necessary to sustain the high quality of life already enjoyed in Hillsborough.

Working with the Planning Board, the Township Committee has passed solar and wind energy ordinances to encourage the use of these technologies.

In November 2009, it was announced that Hillsborough met the rigorous requirements to achieve Sustainable Jersey Certification. Hillsborough's designation as a Sustainable Community by the Jersey Sustainability Institute put it in the forefront of green issues. However, just as importantly, it gave Hillsborough the edge in qualifying for 'green' grants for environmental improvements and energy savings.

In recent years, Hillsborough took advantage of these taxpayer saving grant opportunities. Some of the initiatives advanced by the grants included developing a Natural Resource Inventory, an energy audit, and solar panels for the municipal building (The Peter J. Biondi Building) and the Department of Public Works (DPW) garage.

This year, Hillsborough saw the fruition of its most significant effort to-date, the full implementation of the Siemens’ Energy Savings Improvement Plan. The plan included the replacement of the municipal building’s original twenty year old roof. It also included the replacement of the outdated and inefficient HVAC system and the other facility improvement measures.  Hillsborough is expected to see a minimum of $1.2 million in energy costs savings, while getting a new roof, 34 HVAC units, a central control system, lighting upgrades and solar derived power. By installing a more energy efficient HVAC system and solar panels, Hillsborough significantly offset the cost of replacing the roof and HVAC. This plan provided energy efficiency with an upfront investment that will continue to pay dividends for generations. In fact, on July 4th, with the building closed, the solar panel system fed energy back into the grid.

If you would like to learn more about our platform, our accomplishments and our vision for Hillsborough’s future, please visit www.HillsboroughGOP.com. Also, you may follow us on Facebook (Elect Carl Suraci and Greg Burchette in Hillsborough).

Mayor Carl Suraci
Greg Burchette-Planning Board