Salem Gets Charge Of Out $76K State Grant, National Grid Funds

Salem MA

26 January, 2021

10:47 AM

Description

SALEM, MA —Salem will be getting a charge out of a state grant that will go toward six electric vehicle stations, upgrades to city buildings and new replacement hybrid police cruisers. The $76,872 in "Green Communities" grants will fund six new ChargePoint stations with three at Salem High School's Salerno Automotive Technical Center and three at Forest River Park, which are expected to be operational by the end of the month. National Grid incentives will also be used for new stations at the Bentley Academy Innovation School and Bertram Field in early 2021. Those will join stations already in use at the Mayor Jean Levesque Community Life Center, inside the Museum Place Garage and the South Harbor Garage, the Sewall Street parking lot, and near the Hampton Inn on Dodge Street Court. "We are pleased to join with Salem and take tangible action on green initiatives that deliver benefits to our customers and communities," David Moreira, Director Customer Sales & Solutions from National Grid said. "Our EV incentives complement our commitment to promoting energy efficiency, renewables and being an innovative leader in energy management." The new charging stations will initially be free, but will eventually be $2 per hour to cover operational costs. Energy-efficient appliances will be installed at the Salem Police Station, Witchcraft Heights Elementary School and the Horace Mann Laboratory School. Salem police will also use the fund to supplement the replacement of two police cruisers with hybrid vehicles. "These funds have been so important in advancing Salem's energy and resilience efforts and the Green Communities designation itself is a symbol of how much our community values and prioritizes policies and projects that reduce our impact on climate change and protect our local environment," Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said. Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch. (Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)