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Council approves EV charger and sidewalk in Legion parking lot; staff to return with streetlight options
Summary
Council approved adding an EV charging station and a pedestrian sidewalk in the downtown Legion parking lot as part of a larger 2025 street and utility project; staff will return with model and cost options for replacing Main Street streetlights.
The Kasson City Council approved including an electric vehicle (EV) charging station and a connecting sidewalk in the planned 2025 downtown street and utility project and asked staff to return with street‑light style and cost options for broader Main Street replacements.
The engineer presented a draft plan showing two EV stalls and a nearby sidewalk connection from the Legion parking lot to Main Street. The council approved purchasing and installing the charger infrastructure within the current project, with the electric department to install and the city to explore an operations agreement with a third‑party vendor to operate and maintain the charger for an initial five‑year period.
Brandon (city engineer) walked the council through a plan excerpt and the recommended location behind the Legion between Second and Third avenues, saying the electric department would install the charger and the construction plan would include a pad and conduit: “If council gives us direction to move forward, I believe it would be for purchase of the, EV charger. The electric department would install that.”
Council discussion centered on location, visibility and lifecycle costs. One council member said, “II'd just like to say that, well, I'm not a fan of EVs at all, but I do think that, this is an opportunity to get on the map of chargers,” and supported the inclusion as a downtown amenity that might attract visitors. Staff described an operating approach in which the city purchases and installs the unit, and a private EV‑charger operator (referred to in staff materials as a 5‑year operating partner) would handle credit‑card processing, 24/7 technical support and ongoing maintenance. That approach was presented as a way to avoid the city’s bearing all operational risk while establishing a downtown public charger.
Council also discussed whether adding the sidewalk would reduce the land available if the city later received a strong purchase offer for the lot; city staff noted the sidewalk can be removed if a buyer wanted the full parcel, but the sidewalk provides pedestrian access and improves downtown appearance in the near term.
On the related topic of downtown lighting, staff said many existing Main Street fixtures are corroding and that the council should choose whether to include replacements in the 2025 project. Staff will return with sample fixtures, model numbers and cost estimates; council members asked for lower‑cost pedestrian‑style fixtures and emphasized adequate nighttime illumination for safety.
The council approved the EV charger inclusion and the sidewalk by motion. Staff will finalize procurement details and vendor operating‑agreement options and provide lighting model and cost options to council at a subsequent meeting.
