Fairfield receives grant for electric vehicle charging station

The city of Fairfield will soon be seeking bids to build an electric vehicle charging station near downtown.

The city received a grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation that will cover 90 percent of the cost of an electric vehicle charging station. Fairfield City Council member Michael Halley said the DOT will reimburse the city for 90 percent of the cost up to $15,000. The charging station is planned to be installed at the parking lot east of the Fairfield Fire Station at the corner of Second Street and Briggs Avenue. It would be the fourth electric vehicle charging station in Fairfield.

Fairfield City Engineer Melanie Carlson said that, now that the city has received the grant, city staff will seek bids for the installation and concrete work. The charging station itself will be purchased with the grant money and with money from the city, and will be owned by the city.

Carlson said the reason the parking lot east of the fire station was chosen was to fulfill grant requirements, namely that the charging station be within view of a state highway (Highway 1 runs beside the parking lot) and that it be near the downtown.

'The idea is to have the charging station close to downtown so that someone could park their vehicle, charge it, and walk a block to go shopping or eat at a restaurant,” Carlson said.