Sharon gets proposal for second EV charging site

SHARON — A preliminary proposal to install an electric-vehicle (EV) charging station in the town-owned parking lot adjacent to the Sharon Firehouse was discussed at the regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, May 24.

First Selectman Brent Colley described a proposal submitted by Artis Energy Solutions of Middletown that would add two more Level 2 EV charging ports at the fire house, additional to the four ports planned to be installed as part of the town hall parking lot expansion.

“There is no funding yet; it’s a suggestion,” Colley said of the proposal that would need to be considered by the Planning and Zoning Commission. And Town Treasurer Tina Pitcher suggested that the Board of Finance should be consulted as a first step.

If approved, each town charging station would be metered, Colley said. The power would come from the electric pole in the back corner of the firehouse lot, with a line laid under the present asphalt.

Level 2 charging is faster than Level 1, which uses a common 120-volt household outlet. Level 2 relies on 208-240 volt electricity sources, adds more miles per charge and is the most commonly used for daily charging.

Selectman Dale Jones commented that nationally, 500,000 EV charging stations are needed to support the growth in electric vehicles. And he noted that having more charging stations in the town center could be an enhancement.

“Who would use the stations?” selectman Casey Flanagan asked.

Colley noted that there are few charging stations installed in the immediate area. More stations could be a help in the region, bridging the gap in locations, he said.

Cost estimates suggest similar costs to those for the town hall installation, totaling about $8,200 for the two stations, Colley said.

The selectmen agreed to assemble more solid cost estimates and discuss the proposal at their next meeting.

Town Hall Meeting
Room Acoustics

The Chapin Meeting Room at the Town Hall has had a long-standing acoustical problem. Colley reported that a group of University of Hartford acoustical engineering students recently visited the building with Prof. Chris Jasinski as a class project to analyze the situation and suggest solutions.

Evaluating the echo problem, the students measured a 1.5 second delay in reverberation and devised suggestions for lessening or eliminating the problem.

Impressed by the students’ process, informative report and video, Colley noted that the phased solutions are something that the town has wanted for a long time. He said that the video will be posted on the town’s website.

One suggestion involved installing panels in the room’s rafters, an idea that could reduce the reverberation delay to one second per word. If wall carpeting is added, reduction would be measured at 0.6 seconds per word. Additional reduction could be achieved by installing heavy drapes at the windows.

Flanagan praised the work, indicating that it could be done in stages. “There is no need to do it all at once,” he said.

The selectmen agreed to assemble cost estimates for discussion at their next meeting.