Presenter outlines plan for Level 2 EV charger at Tunbridge town hall; $32,000 state grant possible

A presenter asked the Selectboard to consider asking a contractor for a firm cost estimate and to authorize a potential grant application for a Level 2 electric vehicle charger near the Tunbridge Town Hall.

"The highest level is, $32,000," Presenter (speaker 6) said of a state grant the board could pursue if the host site is town-owned. The presenter outlined that the grant prefers town-owned property with a town employee able to access the charger and noted a tight timeline: the grant application window closes at the end of June.

Board members raised site-specific constraints. Concern included an existing easement and a shared septic system on the north side of the building that might restrict digging for conduit or pedestal installation (questions raised by Resident speaker 5). Members also discussed parking trade-offs if a charging stall occupied a highly visible town-hall spot and suggested alternate locations (library, Grange or fairgrounds) if the town-hall site proved infeasible.

Operational questions included ownership and billing: the presenter said the town could lease the station on paper to qualify for grants while a vendor or local business could administer payments and session management. The board asked the presenter to get a contractor estimate and to follow up on easement and septic locations before the next meeting.