MILLERTON — After carefully evaluating the research and merits featured in the Millerton/North East Climate Smart Community Task Force’s presentation, the Village Board decided at its virtual monthly business meeting on Monday, May 18, to grant the task force permission to apply for funding to purchase and install an electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Millerton.
The meeting was live streamed on the “Village of Millerton VOM” Facebook page to observe social distancing in the days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Debbie Middlebrook welcomed Task Force members Jennifer Dowley and Andrew Stayman, who gave the presentation.
First talking about the state’s Climate Smart Community program, Dowley reported that New York initiated the program in 2009 “as a way of inspiring and incentivizing cities, towns, villages and counties throughout the state to engage in projects that would help those communities adapt to climate change.”
In Millerton and North East, she talked about how the program aligns completely with the newly updated joint town and village comprehensive plan and how it has opened up funding opportunities that will be helpful to both municipalities down the line. Dowley highlighted how the town and village took pledges in 2018 to support and participate in the program as Climate Smart Communities and appointed their own Climate Smart Task Force in 2019.
She listed some of the task force’s projects to date, including the installation of recycling bins near the head of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail and at Veterans Park. She outlined some future projects, including a greenhouse gas inventory and mitigation plan and the installation of an electric vehicle charging station. Dowley said they were asking the Village Board permission to apply for funding from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to purchase and install an EV charging station in the village, at “no cost to the village,” she said.
Stayman has been researching charging stations, and Millerton would have the first universal EV charging station open to the public in the area, according to the pair. Based on what they’ve learned from other municipalities, the charging stations tend to attract visitors and serve local EV owners.
Dowley shared her belief that it will attract repeat customers to local businesses; boost Millerton’s “green image” and reduce greenhouse gases; and help reduce “range anxiety” for EV owners looking to power their vehicles en-route to their destinations. As more drivers buy EVs, she said having a charging station will help put the village on the map.
While there are a number of EV charging stations nearby — including one at Four Brothers Pizza Inn in Amenia and one at Ruge’s Chevrolet in Millbrook — Dowley said they are primarily for their own customers. She also made sure to mention municipalities in Pine Plains and Hillsdale offer EV charging stations for their residents.
Dowley projected a visual image of an EV charging station and praised one particular model known as ChargePoint. Recognized as one of the most common models in the U.S., she said plugging an EV into a ChargePoint provides between 20 to 25 miles of range per hour of charging. Using a secure network, drivers can easily locate these chargers through an app on their phone, which will also notify them if there is space available at the chargers. In addition to having a good record of customer service and approval from the state, Dowley said ChargePoint is good at providing the data that the Climate Smart Task Force will need for reporting to the DEC.
Dowley reported that the Task Force plans to apply for the maximum amount of $20,000, which will be used to purchase and install a charger along with a five-year plan of maintenance, insurance and network use. She said 80% of that amount will come from the DEC and 20% will come from private donations via Townscape of North East and Millerton, which Dowley said is a willing partner with the Climate Smart Task Force in this project.
Approximately $1 an hour will be charged for the use of the charging station, though Dowley said that number is not yet set in stone. However, she said this amount will provide the village with a revenue stream to cover the cost of electricity associated with the charging station. Additionally, Dowley shared the Task Force’s plans to talk with the Village Board and the Millerton Business Alliance about how to structure the fees and how long they want to allow people to sit at the charging stations.
In terms of village responsibilities, Dowley asked that the village provide two parking spots on Century Boulevard; perform normal snow removal and road maintenance; and have the Millerton Police Department ensure that the only vehicles parked in those spots are EVs parked for charging. The Task Force will submit quarterly reports to the DEC through the village and the village will pay electricity costs to Central Hudson with revenue that comes from fees raised from the charging station.
At that time, the Task Force said it planned to meet the DEC’s May 29 deadline. The award, if bestowed on the village, will be announced this summer or fall, after which a request for proposals (RFP) will need to be done. The charging station can then be installed within two to four weeks.
Middlebrook asked how the village would obtain the revenue made from the charging station.
Based on their research, Dowley said the Task Force would contract with LilyPad EV, a distributor of the ChargePoint equipment. LilyPad EV would be tasked with reading the data from the charger to determine how many hours of charging have occurred and what the costs are in addition to collecting the data to send to the village once a month. ChargePoint would then collect the money; the village would have an account with ChargePoint; Stayman said that once the account accumulates at least $50, ChargePoint would wire the money into the village’s account.
Questions from the Village Board ranged from potential data monitoring fees and the life expectancy of the charging unit to the amount of money the village would incur after the five-year period.
Once those questions were addressed, Middlebrook asked the trustees if they felt prepared to give Dowley and Stayman the go ahead to apply for funding.
After sharing their individual concerns and addressing questions posted on the village’s Facebook page’s comments section, the board granted the Climate Smart Community Task Force permission to apply for funding, provided that a member of the board reviews the application prior to its submission.
Submitted
