DALTON, Mass. — The Dalton Green Committee voted to use ChargePoint for the electric vehicle (EV) charging stations during its meeting last week. 

 

The town allocated $42,000 to fund the Green Committee's request for two electric vehicle charging stations. There are two EV ports per station. 

 

The vendor who installs the stations and the Central Berkshire Regional Planning Commission did not recommend that the town use Flo, a Canadian company, committee member Tony Pagliarulo said. 

 

Pagliarulo also said he reached out to Flo on two occasions and did not hear back. Although Flo is popular in Canada he would rather go with ChargePoint because they are also popular and have a good track record. 

 

Pagliarulo said he has not had an issue using ChargePoint with his vehicle. The company has 24/7 service to assist customers and has been more than willing to communicate. 

 

Green Committee member Thomas Irwin was concerned because there is not a lot of "practical information" available to the town regarding which company to use. 

 

Although there is a lot of academic information there is not a lot of information on personal experiences with EV providers for the Berkshires, he said. 

 

Concord has a lot more money than Dalton and officials there were concerned about ChargePoint, Irwin said. What happens if the town installs ChargePoint and discovers there is a better option?

 

If the town discovers a better option then the committee can vote on utilizing those providers for future stations, was the response.

 

The town plans to install the station at the Community Recreation Association. If that option does not pan out then the next spot up for consideration will be Kelly's Package Store. 

 

These options were considered due to their high volume of traffic and because there isn't an added cost for paving.

 

The committee voted to submit a scope of work to bidders for the EV charging stations as soon as possible.

 

The cost of the material such as the signs, paint, and bollards are already budgeted in the $42,000 but the committee is going to reach out to Highway Superintendent Edward "Bud" Hall to see if he can provide the labor. 

 

The Senior Center and Pine Grove Park are up for consideration for potential future EV station projects.  The Senior Center had a charging station installed in 2017 through a Green Communities grant.