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Federal Way to seek bids for EV chargers at community center after council debate over parking and placement
Summary
Council authorized staff to solicit bids for three dual electric-vehicle charging stations at the Federal Way Community Center (Department of Commerce grant, $299,730), with staff instructed to include an alternate location in the RFP to address parking and vandalism concerns; the motion was forwarded to the Jan. 6, 2026 consent agenda and carried unanimously.
Council staff presented a proposal on Dec. 16 to solicit bids and install three dual electric-vehicle charging stations (six charging stalls) at the Federal Way Community Center, funded by a Department of Commerce grant of $299,730.
Claribel Oriana, capital projects manager for Parks, said the grant covers equipment, installation and some maintenance and that the project timeline aims for completion by March. She said the three dual chargers would occupy six parking stalls and that the Department of Commerce funding covers the equipment, labor and some maintenance years.
Council members raised concerns about the initial siting in a high-demand parking area, the need to protect disabled-access stalls and the risk of vandalism. One member suggested placing chargers along the gym side instead of the main lot; staff and another participant noted that visibility reduces vandalism risk and that electrical-panel location affects trenching and wire-run costs. Staff proposed including two location options in the RFP and returning for award and final siting decisions to avoid losing the grant or discounts.
A motion to forward authorization to solicit bids (option 1) to the Jan. 6, 2026 consent agenda passed unanimously. Staff said the grant covers the full project cost and that three years of maintenance/inspection are included; they also said final operational questions—pricing, charging policies and whether to charge 'opportunity costs' for overstay—would be decided later and included in internal Parks policy.
