Village orders electric car-charging units

by Dan McClelland
The village has ordered three “level two” electric vehicle charging stations to make Tupper Lake a destination for motorists who own electric cars.
Last month the village board ran with an idea by Electric Superintendent Marc Staves to order this charging units as part of a statewide grant program.
One of the new units will go to replace an outdated device in place at the Wild Center and Mr. Staves was expected to meet with those officials in the days following the board's August 15 monthly meeting.
The village will place one unit in the new parking lot in front of Flanders Park and one in the western end of the municipal park, near the Rotary pavilion.
The village crew several years ago installed a charging unit adjacent to the pavilion and Mr. Staves said he recently checked its usage by the owners of electric-powered cars and, in his words, “a whole lot of people” have taken advantage of it.
The signs advertising the charging stations will be part of a statewide system and will be all color coded, Mayor Paul Maroun noted.
The state is also developing a map where all these new charging stations are situated, so owners of electric cars can plan their itineraries around accessing them, bringing new people to town.
Mark Jessie and Suzanne Holiday, the new owners of the Faust Motel, earlier this year installed charging units at their place with an eye to attracting visitors there.
In another electric department matter that Mr. Staves briefed the board members on that evening, he said he met recently with the village's engineering consultants, the MRB group, and did a walk through of the department's garage on McLaughlin Ave. with an eye to its replacement.
He said the firm's representatives assessed the current condition of the old metal garage and have prepared a contract for the village to consider for them to oversee any replacement project.
The old garage, which is shared with the department of public works, has been plagued with roof ice problems over the years.
Mr. Staves said he expects the consultants will present a “needs layout schematic floor plan” to the village in upcoming weeks for the board's consideration.