September 27, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Activated in Three Municipal Lots

KINGSTON, N.Y. – Mayor Steve Noble is pleased to announce the installation and activation of three new Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, the first installed on City property. The charging stations were installed with the assistance of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) in three municipal lots, including the Dock Street lot, the Cornell St. lot, and the lot adjacent to the Visitors Center. Each charging station allows for two vehicles to charge at any given time. The labor for the installations as well as the electric was done in-house by the City’s Department of Public Works.

The installation of these electric vehicle charging stations is a vital component of the City of Kingston’s expansive sustainability initiatives. The City of Kingston achieved Bronze Climate Smart Community certification in 2014 and Silver certification in 2018, both the highest levels achieved by any municipality in New York State. Kingston has completed a variety of adaptation and mitigation strategies to achieve this level, including appointing a commission, conducting a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and creating a Climate Action Plan. The Climate Action Plan outlines strategies and actions for the City to take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set a goal for energy use reduction of 20% by 2020.

“We’ve made great progress in our efforts to build a sustainable, resilient community and this is yet another step in the right direction,” said Mayor Noble. “Thanks to the support of NYS DEC and coordination within our City departments, we were able to add this new amenity at no cost to City taxpayers.”

In 2017 the City of Kingston became the first city in New York to be designated a Clean Energy Community. To earn the designation, the city completed the following high-impact actions:

• Establishing a Clean Fleet by adding electric vehicles (EV) to the city fleet.
• Implementing a Benchmarking initiative that establishes a policy of data collection on energy use in municipal buildings to identify opportunities to cut energy waste. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager Program is a tool that the City of Kingston uses to benchmark the performance of municipal buildings.
• Establishing the Energize NY Finance program, a loan to help commercial and non-profit property owners to tackle energy upgrades and renewable energy projects. The loan is repaid through a special charge on the property tax bill.
• Earning Climate Smart Community certification. As an added incentive for receiving Clean Energy Community certification, the City was awarded $100,000 by NYSERDA to complete an energy or sustainability project.

“The City has really stepped up our effort to move the notion of sustainability out beyond city government doors, into the broader community,” said Julie Noble, Environmental Education and Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Kingston. “We are pleased to offer this new opportunity for visitors and residents to have access to important EV infrastructure. In addition, we are excited to be actively retrofitting our city sedan fleet to more efficient vehicles. We are advancing our Climate Action Plan and much of it is being done with the financial support of New York State and other sources. Each of these steps we take is for a better environment in the near and long term, while also saving the City and taxpayers dollars in efficiencies. It’s a win-win.”

In order to achieve the outcomes outlined in Kingston’s Climate Action Plan, the City has purchased numerous Zero Emission Vehicles since 2016 and has received rebate funding of $5,000 per vehicle for 4 vehicles from the NYSDEC. These vehicles include: two vehicles in 2016 (Kingston Fire Department and Kingston Police Department) and two vehicles in 2017 (Kingston Parks and Recreation and City Hall). In total, the City owns 7 electric vehicles, including 4 Chevy Volts and 3 Nissan Leafs.

Three additional charging stations are set to be installed in 2019 at the Prince Street Municipal Lot in Midtown, the Dietz Stadium Parking Lot in Uptown and the Building Safety Parking Lot in Downtown.

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