BERNARDSTON, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — An electric vehicle charging station could be coming to the center of Bernardston. East Coast Renewables has been working with the state on an EV charging station program that offers to cover 97% of the cost to municipalities.
Selectboard member Brian Keir reached out to the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce to see if there were figures available about the potential financial impact of the station. Keir said the Chamber could only provide anecdotal evidence.
“As Jessye Deane, the Executive Director (of the Chamber of Commerce) said to me–and she owns electric vehicles–she said ‘I can tell you every time I plug in (a vehicle to be charged), I spend money where I am'”, said Keir. “That’s real dollars going in, right next door.”
East Coast Renewables estimates the station would bring in between 10-thousand and 20-thousand dollars in revenue annually. Town officials will further consider the plan before entering into contract negotiations.