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Port Authority approves power hookup for Hydration Station at LST Memorial trailhead
Summary
The Port Authority of Evansville on July 7 approved a request from Hydration Station founder Jack Dyke to draw 120 volts from the LST Memorial building so a year-round, filtered, chilled drinking-water dispenser can operate on the riverfront trail. The unit is paid for by an Evansville Endowment Fund grant; Culligan will maintain filters.
The Port Authority of Evansville on Monday, July 7, approved a request to draw electrical power from the LST Memorial building to operate a Hydration Station water-dispensing unit on the riverfront trail.
Jack Dyke, CEO and founder of Hydration Station, told commissioners the unit provides chilled, reverse-osmosis–filtered drinking water year-round — down to about negative 10 degrees and up to about 110 degrees Fahrenheit — and is intended for high-foot-traffic and underserved areas along the trail. Dyke said the park board already approved plumbing for the unit but that the electric hookup remains to make the unit fully functional.
Dyke said the station uses about 120 volts — “the equivalent to having a small light bulb on” — and that the electrical work would be done by a licensed contractor with only minimal intrusion to the visitor center building. He said the project is already funded through a grant from the Evansville Endowment Fund covering plumbing and electric work, and that Hydration Station has a maintenance agreement with Culligan Water to service and sanitize filters every six months.
Commissioners asked about who would pay ongoing electric costs. Dyke said the station is not on continuously — it is powered when in use — and characterized the monthly draw as minimal; he said he would ask the Port Authority to assume the small monthly cost but offered to calculate or pay it himself if commissioners preferred. Commissioner Andrew (first-name-only in the record) asked about the unit’s expected life cycle; Dyke said replacement is suggested every five to seven years and that Hydration Station will handle maintenance needs.
A motion to approve Dyke’s request to pull electric from the LST Memorial building passed by voice vote. The record shows no roll-call tally of individual yes/no votes.
The Port Authority did not specify a start date for charging the utility account; Dyke said his contractor could complete the electrical hookup within about three days of approval. He referenced an electrical contractor in the record variously as Alpha Electric and Alba Electric; the transcript is inconsistent on the firm name.
The approved installation will place the Hydration Station on the riverfront trail adjacent to the LST Memorial building and make chilled, filtered potable water available at no charge to trail users.
The meeting continued with other business after the vote.
