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Somerville committee recommends accepting up to $500,000 MassCEC grant for six on‑street EV chargers
Summary
The finance committee recommended approval to accept and expend up to $500,000 from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to install six dual‑port Level 2 on‑street electric vehicle charging stations at six city locations.
The Somerville Finance Committee on Oct. 21 recommended acceptance of a Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) grant of up to $500,000 to install six no‑cost on‑street, dual‑port Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations.
Christine Blais, director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment, said the grant comes through MassCEC’s On‑Street Charging Solutions program and would add six dual‑port publicly accessible charging stations, nearly doubling the number of publicly available ports in the city. Blais said staff used the city’s electric‑vehicle siting strategy and public engagement to select six high‑impact locations.
"The gift is in the amount of about five up to $500,000 to do this work," Director Christine Blais said. She told the committee staff expects to begin construction early next spring with stations operational by midyear if schedules hold.
Committee members asked about traffic and parking impacts, including whether cables would reach vehicles parked opposite the flow of traffic. Blais said the city has been coordinating with traffic and parking staff and evaluating equipment models with longer cords where appropriate.
Locations noted in the agenda materials and discussion were Teal Square; Prospect Hill Park; Ball Square; Evergreen Avenue near Leonard Hill School (an additional site there); Hudson Street at the Labyrinth; and Union Square on Stone Avenue.
The committee laid the item on the table for a consolidated recommendation vote at the end of the meeting; the clerk then read the motion to recommend approval of the items on the table and the roll call recorded unanimous approval.
Clarifying details: the grant is from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s on‑street charging solutions program; the stations are dual‑port Level 2 units; staff identified six sites after public engagement; construction could start early spring and stations may be operational by midnext year. The city is coordinating with traffic and parking about siting and cord length.
