Chimes Building developer should make it 100% electric (Your Letters)

To the Editor:

Congratulations to the Allyn Foundation for making possible the purchase of the Chimes Building for mixed-income apartments.

This is exactly what the city needs.

Hopefully the redevelopment of the Chimes building will follow in the footsteps of the Whitlock Building, next to Salt City Market on Salina Street. The Whitlock Building pioneered the use of electric heat pump technology and is the first building downtown to be 100% electric for heating, cooling, lighting, hot water and cooking. It uses zero fossil fuels. Plans are moving ahead to add a 50-kilowatt solar PV system on its roof.

The recent extreme weather events that killed five people in Pennsylvania, washed out roads in the Adirondacks and flooded the capital of Vermont under several feet of water are our new weather abnormal. Yes, abnormal as the more greenhouse emissions the warmer the planet will be, the more moisture the air will hold and the more extreme the weather will be. It will continue to get more severe year after year. There is no normal anymore.

There is opportunity during the planning and redevelopment of the Chimes Building to set a precedent for new construction: to move away from installing fossil fuel powered infrastructure, push for sustainable building practices, and contribute to the resiliency of the city of Syracuse overall.

The Allyn Foundation has a long history of helping the community. I hope it will continue in that vein and be part of the solution in helping New York state achieve its climate goals.

Yvonne Chu

President, Climate Change Awareness & Action

Syracuse

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