Grants will cover part of the cost of Aurora’s new EV charging stations

Photo of the front of aurora's town hall building with bright purple flowers around the sign in the front lawn.
Lyndsey Brennan/The Portager

Four electric vehicle charging stations will cost $15,000 more than Aurora City Council had bargained for, but taxpayers won’t have to foot the extra cost.

Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin says Emery Electric’s $70,000 estimate was higher than expected, but a $30,000 EPA grant and a $40,000 “civic donation” from Dynegy Energy — Aurora’s electric aggregate provider — will cover the overage.

The charging stations will be installed at Aurora Memorial Library sometime this year. Motorists will need to access the ChargePoint app, paying “a modest fee to cover the cost of electricity and maintenance,” the mayor said.

Unlike many charging stations, owners of Tesla vehicles will also be able to charge up as long as they have a special adaptor, which Womer Benjamin said comes standard with new Teslas or can be purchased online for under $100.

Driving school fees to increase

Council approved a $100 hike to the cost of National Driver Training School, increasing the student fee from $248 to $348.

The city contracts with NDTS to provide driver education courses at Aurora High School. The courses include 24 hours of online or in-person classes and eight hours of behind-the-wheel instruction.

NDTS tuition is actually $419, which includes Aurora’s Parks and Rec’s administrative fee for use of Aurora High School’s facilities and other resources, Womer Benjamin said.

Contact the city’s parks and recreation department at 330-562-4333 for more information.

Road work on East Mennonite

East Mennonite Road is about to get a facelift as council approved $116,400 for resurfacing work from state Route 43 to the city line at Mantua Township. ODOT has yet to put the project out for bid, but Womer Benjamin expects work to be completed this summer.

ODOT is expected to kick in some $466,560, she said, noting that the city will not have exact costs until actual contracts are signed.

New police cruiser

Aurora police will be getting a 2022 Ford Explorer from Liberty Ford. The $36,990 vehicle will replace the department’s 2019 Ford Explorer, which the city’s insurance company totaled after a Feb. 5 motor vehicle accident.

No one was injured in the crash, and it was not the city’s fault, Womer Benjamin said. The insurance will reimburse the city $36,133.

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Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.