CTE recommends roughly $30M in capital grants; board approves awards for vehicles, chargers and one facility

The CTE board approved staff- and committee-recommended capital grant awards totaling $30,003,500 that fund one facility retrofit, four infrastructure projects and nine vehicle procurements, resulting in 18 battery-electric vehicles awarded across the state.

Michael King, the committee presenter, said the scoring committee reviewed 14 applications requesting nearly $40 million and recommended funding all projects at some level, with partial awards where demand exceeded the $30 million budget. The lone facility award — a CU Boulder bus maintenance-garage retrofit — received full funding for the zero-emission-vehicle (ZEV) components, which King said are necessary to maintain and repair ZEVs and to maximize the university’s broader fleet transition.

Among infrastructure recommendations, the committee proposed full awards for Winter Park, RAFTA and RTD utility upgrades and a partial award to VIA mobility services (two of three chargers funded) so VIA can maintain current operations; RTD’s award was described as groundwork to support future vehicle procurements. On vehicles, smaller agencies such as Town of Avon, Town of Vail and DDRC received full awards for specific battery-electric vehicles while larger requests from Fort Collins, Boulder and RAFTA were partially funded (Fort Collins recommended three of five vehicles; RAFTA six of ten).

King said the combined recommendations would fund 18 electric transit vehicles and support installation of at least six chargers. He noted the total recommended awards slightly exceeded the $30 million budget by $3,500; staff said Craig would identify the funds to cover that overage. Directors asked about project readiness and timelines; presenters said most projects are close to implementation, with RTD’s electrical upgrades being a necessary step ahead of future bus procurements and CU Boulder ready to move once funding is in place.

The board voted unanimously to approve the awards. Directors and staff emphasized geographic distribution considerations and the committee’s effort to balance awards across regions while recognizing application quality.

The approved awards proceed to contracting and implementation; project timelines will depend on each agency’s procurement and utility timelines, and staff said they will monitor progress and return with updates as projects move to contract and installation.