January 27, 2021 by Carol Britton Meyer
There's good news for owners of electric cars and other vehicles who live in, or frequent, Hingham.
The Selectmen last night signed a letter of support for the Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant to pursue a funding opportunity through the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection's MassEVIP Public Access Charging Grant Program for communities wishing to install electric vehicle charging stations on town property.
One location would be at the Station Street parking lot in downtown Hingham. The other location is yet to be determined by the selectmen and HMLP.
"As a Green Community, the Town of Hingham wishes to encourage energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly modes of transportation," the letter to MassEVIP states.
If the grant is awarded to HMLP, installation would be subject to a final license agreement by the selectmen and receipt of any necessary town permits.
The stations would be installed and maintained by HMLP at no cost to the town using revenues from charging station fees.
"We're excited about this opportunity," Asst. Town Administrator Michelle Monsegur said.
HMLP Asst. General Manager Thomas Morahan explained that light plant administrators "have been talking about this for about a year, and now there's an opportunity through the state for funding up to $50,000 [per address] to purchase and install charging stations on public land that is accessible to the public. We were going to do it anyway, but receiving state funding [would be helpful]."
HMLP is also working with a property management company to explore the option of installing charging stations on private property on Rte. 3A across from the Hingham Shipyard and at other possible locations.
"There are some at Linden Ponds already," Morahan said. "We'd like to work with private developers around town to look into the possibility of installing more charging stations."
Selectman Bill Ramsey called this project "a step in the right direction."
Morahan said he expects to hear back about the grant by the end of March or April.