The city of Durango and La Plata Electric Association are breaking ground this week on the installation of two dual-port electric vehicle charging stations at Durango Public Library.
Marty Pool, sustainability manager for the city, said the library is one of three priority sites for charging stations in town, in addition to the Durango Community Recreation Center and the Durango Transit Center.
He said those sites were chosen because they each address varying needs of the community.
“We’re envisioning the library site to ... be a resource for people that may not have the ability to charge at home for one reason or another,” he said. “Because people may regularly spend several hours at the library making use of all the great services, it can also provide a great opportunity to charge an EV.”
Although construction has begun for the two charging stations planned for the library, installation won’t be complete until springtime 2023, Pool said. Right now, work consists of establishing a connection with LPEA, which involves underground boring and the installation of a new transformer.
The charging site at the library has been designed for the addition of more and faster charging stations in the future, Pool said. EV charging technology is always improving, which makes planning for its use sort of like “aiming at a moving target.”
He said the next round of chargers at the library will probably be fast chargers, but an exact model or power output hasn’t been decided.
“We look at the best available information on the current and future options for technologies and anticipated costs and make a decision for what seems like the best fit for a site,” he said. “We also have to take advantage of state and federal programs.”
He said two fast chargers installed at the Durango Transit Center were obtained with the help of a state-funded program. The city had to pay just over $10,000 but received “hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth” of equipment and installation.
The city also scored an $18,000 grant from the state energy office’s Charge Ahead Colorado grant program to be put toward the charging station area for the library, he said. The funds covered expenses for expanding electrical service at the site in order to facilitate more charging stations later down the road.
Pool said many state and federal funding opportunities for fast charging technology are going to open up soon thanks to recently passed legislation, and so fast charging is what the city will be eyeing in future endeavors.
cburney@durangoherald.com
