Schenectady committee accepts GTSC traffic-safety grant and National Grid EV charging grant

A Schenectady City Council committee voted to accept two grant awards: a Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) Police Traffic Services grant and a National Grid make‑ready grant for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The GTSC award totals $45,920. Committee presenters said $35,000 of that would support general patrol services and the remainder—described in the meeting as about $10,920—would fund a seat‑belt mobilization enforcement initiative. Presenters said the GTSC grant requires no city matching funds.

Separately, the committee accepted a National Grid make‑ready grant of $341,142 to install four DC fast charging (DCFC) plugs in front of 1731 Foster Ave, described in meeting materials as the city’s bureau building on Foster Avenue. Staff said the make‑ready funds do not cover the full project cost; the city is seeking additional grants to complete the installation and that accepting National Grid’s award secures that funding while officials pursue supplemental sources. Committee members said the National Grid award imposes no cost to the city.

Both items were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote with committee members answering “Aye.” No member recorded a roll‑call dissent during the committee discussion.

Officials said the EV project is intended to be part of a broader city effort to add public charging locations. The traffic‑safety grant is intended to supplement existing enforcement activity and to fund a short, targeted mobilization focused on seat‑belt enforcement.

The committee did not discuss detailed procurement steps, vendor selections, or specific installation schedules for the charging equipment beyond securing the make‑ready funds. Staff said they will continue seeking additional grant funds and will return with more details as the project moves forward.