Osawatomie: Charging Forward

A Rural Sustainability Initiative

On November 8, 2021, the City of Osawatomie was in a consortium of eight businesses and municipalities, working through Metropolitan Energy Center, that were awarded $5.2 million through the U.S. Department of Energy's Low Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Vehicle Technologies Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment program for electric vehicle (EV) and charging station projects. These businesses and municipalities operate within environmental justice areas, opportunity zones, and other underserved areas. In addition to sedans, they are replacing small and heavy trucks with electric models. These partners will also be building out EV charging stations in various locations. In Osawatomie, we recently welcomed the addition of two 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning trucks within our Utilities fleet and have installed eleven dual-sided charging stations throughout the community. A twelfth station will be installed as part of the upcoming 6th Street reconstruction project in 2024. Once completed, Osawatomie will have 24 individual chargers available for the public, which is the highest concentration of chargers per capita in Kansas.

Here in the City of Osawatomie, we will be engaging the community in developing goals for sustainability and economic vitality. Mike Scanlon, former City Manager and City of Osawatomie economic development consultant, stated when reflecting on the award:

“It’s nice to be at the front-end of rural economic development when it comes to EV chargers and vehicles. With the recent announcement of the Panasonic Battery Plant in De Soto, I believe as a community we are perfectly placed to leverage the benefits of these new technologies. I believe we can become a national leader in rural sustainability – the field is ours to grab.”


Previous Events / Milestones (2022 - 2023) 

  • (Now Closed) A public comment period is open now for our PSP grant application that highlights the integration of EV into parts of our downtown
  • (You Found It) August 8, 2022 – Our new website will debut with a special section on this EV grant through Metropolitan Energy Center
  • (Check It Out) August 11, 2022 - We will announce ribbon cuttings for our first set of charger locations
  • (DELAYED until January 2023) September 12, 2022 - Our MARC Planning Sustainable Places ("The Hub") planning grant opens
  • October 29, 2022 - We announced the TOP FOUR winners of the USD #367 EV Charging Station poster contest
  • NOVEMBER 2022 - Four Community Forums held downtown at 545 Main Street -- join us at one, two, or all four!