Nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood in the Village of Saranac Lake, Mt. Pisgah Recreation Center is a true small town treasure. The 72-acre property is home to a network of multi-use, multi-season trails, and a family-friendly ski hill that harkens back to an earlier era. The park also features newly installed pickleball courts and a base lodge that welcomes skiers during the winter months and community gatherings throughout the year. Mt. Pisgah’s summit provides great bang for your buck; a short walk is rewarded by stunning views of the Adirondack High Peaks and Saranac Lakes.
In his role as Village Parks Manager from Fall 2020 to Spring 2024, Andy Testo oversaw all maintenance and operations at Mt. Pisgah and other smaller parks within the Village. With the support of Village officials and his parks crew, Andy brought key energy improvements to the recreation center that reduce carbon emissions while saving taxpayer dollars.
Working closely with ANCA Energy Circuit Riders, the Village secured grant funding through NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities (CEC) Program last year to install two 32,000-BTU air-source heat pumps that supply energy-efficient heating and cooling for the main floor of the base lodge. Andy’s team also installed a heat pump hot water heater in the building.
The heat pump projects, bolstered by the Village’s generation of renewable hydroelectricity from Lake Flower Dam, helped Mt. Pisgah Lodge achieve net-zero emissions status and qualify the community for additional grant funding for more energy upgrades.
The Village has also been working to convert all lighting on the property to high-efficiency LED bulbs. Both interior and exterior lights in the lodge, pumphouse and garage are now LED, and two-thirds of the lights on the ski and snow tube hills have also been converted. They plan to swap out the remaining conventional bulbs this year and add more fixtures to more evenly illuminate the ski area during dark winter nights.
The Village team is utilizing a second CEC grant to purchase an electric snowmobile for the property and install an EV charging station to power the snowmobile and other municipal electric vehicles. There are plans to install four more EV charging stations at Mt. Pisgah and elsewhere in the Village.
A true clean energy champion for the Saranac Lake community, Andy inspired positive change during his time as parks manager. In addition to the clean energy and energy efficiency projects he helped implement, he also worked with ANCA to connect municipal leaders, contractors and the general public with information and resources to advance clean energy adoption throughout the Village.
“Whether it was making the switch to local renewable hydro to power our Village, installing energy efficient products to heat and cool our buildings and drinking water, researching energy efficient snowmaking pumps and equipment, converting lighting to LEDs, or sourcing battery powered tools for landscaping and transportation — the work brings a powerful spotlight to the importance of a multifaceted approach in order to make a real difference for our community,” Andy said. “It will always be a work in progress, but the end goal is a brighter future for all.”
Photo by Nancie Battaglia