LYNNWOOD—The City of Lynnwood unveiled its first set of public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the parking lot of the Civic Campus Monday, May 19. The public can now charge their electric vehicles while visiting City Hall, the nearby public library and REC center, or while walking the Mesika Trail.
“I am so excited that we now offer EV charging at our Civic Campus. Our community members can now charge up while taking a fitness class at the Rec Center, checking out a book (or two) at the Lynnwood Library, or while taking a stroll along our beautiful Mesika Trail,” said Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell. “Thank you to the incredible staff who we instrumental in making this project a reality.”
The City said Monday that these new chargers align with their vision to update its electrical infrastructure while also supporting its increasing City-owned fleet.
The City of Lynnwood currently has 12 electrical vehicles with three more coming soon. The City’s electric vehicles cost approximately $140/month less than its fuel-powered vehicles, the city said.
The City of Lynnwood has plans to continue installing more charging stations for its City fleet as it adds more electric vehicles but does not currently have any plans to add more public stations.
“We’re proud to open these EV charging stations and help make electric vehicle ownership more convenient and accessible. Infrastructure like this helps turn climate goals into everyday realities,” said Marcie MacQuarrie, Lynnwood Public Works Deputy Director.
The three new DC Fast Charging stations have the capacity to charge most vehicles up to 80% battery in just under two hours. Each station is affixed with two ports with the capacity to charge a total of six vehicles at one time.
The City is limiting use of the chargers for only two hours at a time. Users can pay for the chargers using the ChargePoint app at a current rate of $0.34/kwh.
Planning for the Civic Campus EV Charging station project began in 2023, securing grants from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants Program ($76,450) and the Washington Electric Vehicle Charging Program ($614,856) through January 2024. Other City funds were used that had been set aside for city building capital improvements.
Construction took place nine months later with Resound Energy as contractor.
“Bringing these EV charging stations online took vision, coordination, and a lot of hard work. I’m proud of our team and partners for delivering a project that’s going to serve our city for years to come,” said Lynnwood Public Works Director Jared Bond.
Monday’s ribbon cutting ceremony was also conveniently held during Public Works Week, which is organized by the American Public Works Association each year to honor and recognize public work professionals. This year’s Public Works Week theme is “People, Purpose, Presence” – three ideals that motivate public work professionals to serve their communities through infrastructure and facility improvements, as well as vital services focused on building resilience and high quality of life.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
