WHITE LAKE, NY — In a continuing drive to become as sustainable as possible, the Town of Bethel is the proud new owner of a Smart Fortwo Electric Vehicle (EV).

Bethel Supervisor Dan Sturm said the car will be used by town employees to run errands and for trips such as going to purchase a part or a trip to the county seat. He said it will also be used by the town assessor, who goes into the field quite a bit.

The town is enrolled in a New York State program called Cleaner Greener and needed to achieve several goals to become certified in it. The town did, and because of that certification it received $5,000 toward the purchase of the EV. There is an additional $5,000 available from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and there was a $1,700 rebate available from the dealer. Altogether, the incentives add up to a significant reduction to the $27,000 cost of the car.

Sturm said the EV was purchased from a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Manhattan, because to take advantage of the incentives the purchase had to have been made in New York State and that was the closest one. The car is a 2018 model with cruise control, GPS, a moon roof and an upgraded stereo system.

Sturm said the vehicle will help the town save money, but “it is also to show that we are committed to going green. We want other municipalities to consider this kind of purchase.”

The town is also enrolled in the Climate Smart Communities state program, and the purchase of the electric vehicle adds points to that program.

In another move toward sustainability, the town is pursuing a 4.9 megawatt solar system on the site of its closed landfill. If NYSEG approves the project and everything goes as planned, the solar project would lead to a $10,000 yearly lease payment to the town, with larger payments to the school district and county. The town would also get a 12% reduction in its electricity bill, and town residents who sign on would be eligible for the same reduction.