Electrical vehicle charging stations available at new city lot
– The North County Transit Center is now an official location for an electrical vehicle charging station. Two stations have been installed with funding from an Energy Commission Grant. The electrical vehicle charging equipment is located in the south area of the parking lot at 624 Pine St., Paso Robles.
“These charging stations make it possible for people who work downtown to use an electric vehicle and charge it during the day, while they are at work,” said Dick McKinley, public works director of Paso Robles. “Without charging stations in good locations it is difficult for people to own electric vehicles.”
This new parking lot is located adjacent to both the Pine Street Transit center and the Robbins Field Community Baseball Park. The project included the removal of out of date and distressed sheet metal mini-storage garages that were set against a backdrop of an industrial rail maintenance area. It replaced the eye-sore with a clean and ornate site with landscaping, water quality features, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramps and paths where none had existed before, while adding motorcycle, electric vehicle and ADA parking areas.
The adjacent businesses and the community benefitted from the revitalization while the region added more parking for transit use and park and ride lot capacity to reduce congestion and the associated emissions. Last but not least, the focus on ground water replenishment and water quality is a key issue in this region. This project not only includes features to benefit those hot topics but has been video documented to multiply the message and help other professionals and agencies get on-board with incorporating these techniques into their public works. The message is “With a little extra effort and a holistic approach, public works can help people, communities and the environment!”
Funding for the project was a collaborative effort from the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, the State of California Proposition 1B Grant, and the State Energy Commission. The project team of Wallace Group, Thoma Electric, Earth Systems, and Cal Portland worked together to complete the project.
The electricity stations do require credit card payment for electricity.
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