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Carmel council approves Vista Lobo electrical panel upgrade and EV chargers
Summary
The council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing a contract with GA Technical Services Inc. for a Vista Lobo panel upgrade and EV chargers (bid $295,829; contract not to exceed $350,000). Staff said PG&E is separately funding a transformer upgrade and rebates will reduce the city’s net cost.
The Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council voted unanimously on May 4 to approve a contract to upgrade electrical panels and install electric vehicle charging stations at the Vista Lobo site.
Staff said the lowest responsible bidder was GA Technical Services Inc., with a base bid of $295,829 and a city-authorized contract not to exceed $350,000. City staff told the council that Pacific Gas & Electric is separately funding a transformer upgrade estimated at roughly $200,000, and that the city expects a $150,000 rebate from Central Coast Community Energy; design work of about $64,000 has already been spent.
Val, the staff presenter, said the project team pre-ordered long-lead electrical equipment to reduce schedule risk and that the final piece of equipment was expected to arrive in September. “Assuming the council approves this contract, we’d be able to be online and charging cars by late fall,” Val said.
Council members asked whether the Sunset Center lot work remains on a different timeline and queried potential user rates. Staff said charging fees will be set to recover the city’s cost and that different user classes (for example, employees or fleet vehicles) could be assigned special access or rates.
The council approved Resolution 2026-024 by roll call vote. The staff memo notes the PG&E transformer work is a separate project paid by the utility; the awarded contract covers the building panel upgrade and associated charger installation, including the cost of the level 2 chargers in the vendor’s bid.
Next steps include final contract execution, equipment delivery, and a phased construction schedule that staff said it would monitor to mitigate supplier lead-time impacts.
