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Whately committee identifies library, town offices as top EV charging sites and debates ownership model
Summary
Committee members prioritized the library and town offices for chargers, discussed grant programs (Eversource Make Ready, NEVI, Mass EVIP) and weighed town ownership versus third-party operation; Sylvie will provide priority locations to consultants.
On Aug. 6, 2024, the Town of Whately Electric Vehicle Committee discussed where to site public charging and how to pay for and operate the equipment, identifying the library and town offices as early priorities.
Committee member Sylvie Jensen summarized funding options including Eversource’s Make Ready Program (which lists approved vendors such as Weston & Sampson), the state’s Mass EVIP program (likely limited to Level 1 and 2 chargers), and the federal NEVI program (an 80% cost-share program with siting criteria; Deerfield’s recent grant was noted). Jensen said the committee must select locations, installers and which funding streams to pursue.
Pete Kane emphasized ownership and operations: town ownership would require the municipality to cover installation, maintenance and insurance and could add staffing needs. He suggested a third-party provider could own, operate and maintain chargers while the town partners on grants and sells access agreements. Keith Bardwell observed that when chargers are meant to serve exclusively town vehicles the town might choose ownership, but that need likely will arise later.
Committee members reviewed electrical constraints: Chestnut Plain Road and Herlihy Park have three-phase service suitable for higher-capacity chargers; much of West Whately and the Diner are on single-phase service, which limits Level 3 deployment. The group prioritized locations in this order: Library (on-street, near a 3-phase utility pole), potential installations at the Whately Inn, Town Offices (loss of two parking spaces considered nominal), Police/Highway sites (3-phase service but possibly affected by a planned Highway facility), and Herlihy Park (noted vandalism risks).
Sylvie will provide Weston & Sampson with the committee’s priority locations, infrastructure notes and ownership model to determine next steps and will schedule a call with Weston & Sampson and Pete. The committee will await consultant guidance before deciding whether the town should own chargers or contract operations to a private provider.
