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District maintenance director urges pay‑to‑charge EV charger replacement after finding high costs and equipment failures
Summary
Maintenance director Matt Vargas told the Newman‑Crows Landing board the district spends roughly $18,000 monthly to support aging EV chargers tied to campus meters and proposed a formal bid to replace chargers and add metering that would recoup costs; staff recommended engineering estimates and possible use of bond funds.
Matt Vargas, the district’s maintenance and operations director, told the Newman‑Crows Landing Unified School District board that the district’s decade‑old EV charging network is failing and costing local taxpayers.
“We spend approximately $18,000 per month at our four school sites,” Vargas said, adding that about 25% of chargers are currently not working. He traced the problem to a 2016 power purchase agreement with the solar vendor that left chargers tied to campus meters rather than to solar inverters, which means charging often draws power at higher PG&E rates.
Vargas outlined a two‑part proposal: hire an electrical engineer to produce bid‑ready plans and proceed to a formal bid (he cited ChargePoint as an example vendor) to replace level‑one TurboDock units with level‑two, pay‑to‑charge equipment and isolated metering. An engineer’s estimate included in board backup put the upfront cost near $300,000; Vargas said the district would recoup the investment in roughly one year through user payments and reduced maintenance costs.
Vargas recommended adding two smaller campuses (Hunt Elementary and Bonita) to the project now rather than later, noting that those sites previously lacked carports and would require additional infrastructure work. He also said ChargePoint or similar vendors provide usage tracking (hours and amps per session) that would protect user privacy while enabling accurate billing and maintenance reserves.
Board members asked for metering data and clarifications on ongoing fees and time‑of‑use pricing with PG&E. Vargas said the district has installed temporary disconnect timers to limit after‑hours use as a short‑term measure but called them a “band‑aid.” He said staff will return with engineering estimates and additional procurement details if the board directs them to proceed to bid.
The board did not take a formal vote on the project at the meeting; Vargas asked for direction to move forward with engineering plans and a formal bidding process.
The next procedural step: staff will prepare engineer estimates and return to the board with bids and proposed funding options, including the possibility of using bond funds.
