Overland Park plans to use federal funds to help cover the cost of adding more electric vehicle charging stations at more public facilities.
On Wednesday, the Overland Park City Council’s Public Works Committee voted 6-0 to recommend approval of an agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation to purchase the EV charging equipment for nearly $300,000.
Funds for the project come from the federal Surface Transportation Block Grant program.
Where are the new EV chargers going?
Overland Park has identified five public facilities that will receive new EV chargers at some point in the future, including:
- Overland Park Convention Center, 6000 College Blvd.
- Matt Ross Community Center, 8101 Marty St.
- Tomahawk Ridge Community Center, 11902 Lowell Ave.
- W. Jack Sanders Justice Center, 12400 Foster St
- Sykes/Lady Overland Park Golf Course, 12501 Quivira Rd.
According to city documents, the city expects to add two dual-port charging stations to each facility on the list.
Overland Park has prioritized EVs recently
Over the last several months, Overland Park has gotten more serious about expanding its electric vehicle infrastructure.
This spring, the city council adopted its Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan. That 95-page document made recommendations on adding more electrified vehicles to the city’s fleet and expanding public charging stations. Read the full adopted EV readiness plan here.
Last month, the city council enacted a new ordinance that seeks to limit “ICEing” — the act of intentionally blocking an EV from using a charger by parking a car with an internal combustion engine at a charging station.
Under the city’s traffic code, a vehicle parked at a charging station must be plugged into it or the owner faces fines.
Overland Park has also acquired charging stations for the public to use at Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, Scheels Soccer Complex, Maple Hills Park and the future Bietigheim-Bissingen Park.
Most of those purchases were covered entirely or partially by various federal grants.
There are also currently EV chargers at the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens and the Myron Scafe Building off of Santa Fe Drive and Antioch Road.
Next steps:
- The agreement with KDOT for the project goes to the Overland Park City Council next.
- After that, city staff said there are more action items to come associated with this project in the future.
- If all goes to plan, this latest collection of EV chargers will be installed next year.
- In the meantime, Overland Park is still mulling a policy that sets out the costs and fees tied to using a city-owned charging station.
Keep reading: Overland Park adopts its first official electric vehicle plan
