City Announces Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Osawatomie, KS (August 4, 2022) – On November 8, 2021, the City of Osawatomie was in a consortium of eight businesses and municipalities, working through the 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.
The City of Osawatomie will be engaging the community in developing goals for sustainability and economic vitality. Mike Scanlon, City Manager, 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.”
As the City begins the implementation of this award, here are some important dates to put on your calendar:
• August 8, 2022 – A new City website will debut with a special section on this EV grant through the Metropolitan Energy Center
• August 11, 2022 – The City is hosting a ribbon cutting dedication for the first set of charging stations at 5th and Main Street
• September 12, 2022 – A downtown planning office opens for resident feedback
• September/October 2022 – The City will host weekly Q+A and Community Outreach Activities regarding EV Plans, the newly announced solar array, and sustainability practices and projects
• October 3, 2022 – The final announcement of planned construction dates for the Evergy/Osawatomie solar array
• November 2022 – The City anticipates to host a final round of competition for the USD #367 Solar Array/EV Charging Station drawing contest
The City of Osawatomie is very excited to be on the leading edge of rural sustainability projects and is looking forward to working with the community and its partners on this and future projects.
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