By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
It won’t be long before electric vehicle drivers can charge their cars in Chiefland.
The Chiefland City Commission voted 5-0 Monday to accept Duke Energy’s offer to install four charging stations in a parking lot behind the Chiefland Fire Station and Chiefland Police Department.
Commissioners were told they could adjust the rates of the four Electric Vehicle Chargers to pay for the $15 per month power bill associated with operating the charging stations.
City Manager Mary Ellzey said Duke Energy is offering to install the four EV Chargers, worth $60,000, at no cost to the city through its Park and Plug program that was part of a settlement involving the company.
The location behind the fire and police departments is different than what Duke Energy originally proposed. The company wanted to place the chargers at Trailhead Park near the Chiefland Chamber building but there wasn’t enough room for four parking spaces.
EV Chargers dispense electricity to electric vehicles. Drivers pull up to an EV Charger like a gas station dispenser, but instead of pumping gas, they use a charging cord to recharge the vehicle’s battery. The battery is the source of power for an electric vehicle.
Duke Energy began the Park and Plug program in 2017. The program will end in December of 2022 but the company has the option of extending it one year.
As far as city commissioners know, there are no other EV Charging stations in Chiefland. The city will get two fast chargers, which can recharge a car in about 15 minutes, and two secondary chargers, which take longer to charge a vehicle.
The location of the EV Chargers is a couple hundred feet off busy U.S. 19. Chiefland Shopping Center and its restaurant, The Gathering table, can be seen across the highway if visitors want a bite to eat while their car is charging.
The parking lot where the chargers are to be installed isn’t super busy. Drivers can pull in and plug to the vehicles. They will use a credit card in much the same way as a Sun Pass for the roll road system, Ellzey said.
One drawback, or advantage, depending on the point of view, is that the chargers become the city’s property when the program is completed. The city can continue to operate and collect revenue from the chargers, sell them or just remove them.
The only controversy was when a Spotlight reporter asked if there would be security lighting for the chargers. Ellzey said she would check with Duke Power to find out if the company would provide security lighting.
Commissioner Rollin Hudson asked jokingly if the reporter was scared. The reporter responded the city should be scared if someone gets beat up near the chargers and sues the city.
Mayor Chris Jones asked if the reporter could cite any statistics indicating people were getting beat up at the south end of the city. The reporter said he had no statistics. Commissioner Lance Hayes said he couldn’t remember the last time someone got beat up in Chiefland.
The reporter asked if Jones was saying a security light wasn’t needed near the chargers.
“I didn’t say that. Security is everything. I’m just saying I don’t know of anybody that’s walking around beating up people in Chiefland,” Jones said.
The area of the chargers is in the city’s old business district on the south end of town. There is street lighting nearby but the area where the future chargers are to be located doesn’t have overhead security lights, which are much brighter than street lights and would provide greater security when motorists pull up to recharge at night.
Ellzey said Duke Energy would monitor the use of the charging stations and give the city some of the data, but the company doesn’t have any estimate on how many electric vehicle drivers will use the chargers.
————-
City of Chiefland Regular Meeting February 22, 2021; Posted February 24, 2021
