New vehicle charging stations coming to popular area attractions

Jordan Bernard unplugs her KIA Optima hybrid from a charging station near the intersection of Patterson and Monument in downtown Dayton on Tuesday March 9, 2021. Nearly 30 sites in the Dayton area have been awarded state funds for electric vehicle charging ports as part of $3.25 million in grants announced by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Jordan Bernard unplugs her KIA Optima hybrid from a charging station near the intersection of Patterson and Monument in downtown Dayton on Tuesday March 9, 2021. Nearly 30 sites in the Dayton area have been awarded state funds for electric vehicle charging ports as part of $3.25 million in grants announced by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Some of the Dayton’s area most popular attractions have been picked to receive Ohio funds for new electric vehicle charging stations with installation expected to start this spring.

Austin Landing, the Dayton Art Institute, the Oregon District, Caesar Creek State Park and the Rose Music Center are among the 29 regional sites the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency selected in awarding about $3.25 million statewide.

Montgomery was one of five counties to be awarded the most funds — $303,182 — joining Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton and Summit with that amount in a move the state EPA said will help increase access for Ohioans to publicly available Level 2 EV charging ports.

The new stations help quell “range anxiety,” a common concern for potential electric vehicle buyers that their automobiles “could run out of battery charge while out and about,” according to Matt Lindsay of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission.

“Having more locations to charge spread out across the region can reassure drivers that electric vehicles can serve their transportation needs,” he added.

Nearly 5.4 million hybrid electric vehicles and more than 1.4 million plug-in electric vehicles have sold since they came on the market in 1999 and 2010, respectively, according to usafacts.org.

That number is expected to grow in the future, officials said.

All but two of the 18 applications submitted by the MVPRC for Greene, Montgomery and Warren counties were approved for either full or partial funding, according to Lindsay.

One proposal each by Centerville and Kettering did not make the list, records show.

Six sites in Dayton were picked, topping by one each the number of locations chosen from Greene and Warren counties.

“EV drivers will have more choices when they come to downtown Dayton and will have less distance to walk while their vehicle is recharging,” City Sustainability Manager Mark Charles said in an email.

Dayton will get funds for all the chargers it sought with officials expecting to receive money and begin installations later this spring, he added.

When stations in other communities will be installed isn’t clear, but typically grant recipients have up to two years to complete their projects, according to the Ohio EPA.

Two sites each were picked in Bellbrook, Centerville, Fairborn, Huber Heights, Kettering, Lebanon and Washington Twp., records show.

Kettering sites do not include the city’s government center. But the city’s other two choices — the Kettering Recreation Complex and Delco Park — were selected.

“We’re excited that they agreed to fund the project as much as they did,” Kettering Assistant City Manager Steve Bergstresser said. “I think it’s definitely going to be beneficial for the Greater Dayton community.”

The state awarded Kettering $45,000 total, records show.

Only Cuyahoga (22) and Hamilton (20) counties topped Montgomery’s 19 for sites funded among the 22 counties awarded money, which the OEPA said comes from Ohio’s share from a court case involving Volkswagen.

The amount for the local projects ranges from $4,048 for Washington Twp. to $30,000 each for projects in Fairborn, Franklin, Mason and Xenia.

Centerville received $15,000 — full funding — for a new dual-port charging station at the city building but its Uptown site was not selected, Centerville Communications Director Kate Bostdorff. The other Centerville site picked was Miami Valley Hospital South.

Dayton, Charles said, partnered with Electrada LLC, a business launched in Cincinnati in 2020 to meet the growing demand for EV charging infrastructure, according to the company’s website.

Dayton is working to add more stations “in areas where people have a reason to gather or linger, including Levitt Pavilion, the Arcade, Day One Ballpark,” according to Charles.

“We expect to cover additional sites in subsequent applications,” he said.


STATE FUNDS

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has announced nearly $3.25 million in funding for electric vehicle charging stations in the state. Most local applications were submitted by the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission and the Ohio Department of Transportation.

APPLICANT SITE AMOUNT

GREENE COUNTY

MVRPC City parking lot, Xenia $30,000

MVRPC Shoppes at Valle Greene, Fairborn $30,000

MVRPC Community Library, Fairborn $15,000

MVRPC Administration Building, Bellbrook $15,000

MVRPC Winters-Bellbrook Library, Bellbrook $15,000

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Blink Charging Co. Comfort Suites, Miamisburg $10,000

Electrada LLC Dayton Art Institute, Dayton $14,134

Electrada LLC Oregon District parking lot, Dayton $14,184

Electrada LLC E. 2nd Street, Dayton $12,325

Electrada LLC E. 4th Street, Dayton $12,325

Electrada LLC E. Monument Avenue, Dayton $12,325

Five Rivers MetroParks 2nd Street Market, Dayton $22,500

Miami Valley Hospital MVH South, Centerville $22,500

MVRPC The Point, West Carrollton $15,000

MVRPC Thomas A. Cloud, Huber Heights $15,000

MVRPC Kettering Recreation Complex $22,500

MVRPC Delco Park, Kettering $22,500

MVRPC Austin Landing, Miami Twp. $22,500

MVRPC Centerville Administration Building $15,000

MVRPC Rose Music Center, Huber Heights $22,500

MVRPC Washington Twp. Recreation Center $15,000

MVRPC Orchard Avenue city lot, Oakwood $15,000

MVRPC Washington Twp. Admin Building $4,048

ODOT ODOT District 7 garage $13,841

WARREN COUNTY

Lebanon Electric Administration Building $15,000

Waterstone LLC DS Waterstone LLC, Mason $30,000

MVRPC Franklin Administration Building $30,000

ODOT Caesar Creek State Park, Waynesville $27,682

ODOT ODOT District 8 HQ, Lebanon $15,000

SOURCE: Ohio EPA.

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