In just a couple of weeks, employees of the Town of Marion will be driving around the town in a brand new electric car.
The Marion Board of Selectmen on February 26 authorized acting Town Administrator Judy Mooney to sign a lease for a new electric car on behalf of the town. The three-year, $7,500 lease is fully funded by a grant the town secured under the advisement of the Marion Energy Management Committee.
The vehicle, a new Nissan Leaf, would replace the use of one of the town’s other town-owned combustible engine vehicles, although which department will use the Nissan Leaf has not yet been decided.
Another $7,500 is allocated to pay for the charging station to be installed at the Atlantis Drive recreation building, although Mooney said she hopes the money could stretch far enough to install a second charging station across town.
“We wanted three and three,” said Mooney, but the grant awarded would only provide for the one car and the one charging station.
Finance Committee Chairman Alan Minard was in attendance to ask questions about the financial implications for the town in light of the new vehicle.
Mooney reassured him there was no mileage limit as far as she knew, but since the car would only be used locally, she doubted the town would exceed any given limit.
“We’re not going to get close to the mileage use at the end of the lease,” Mooney said. She added that, at the end of the lease, the town would be able to purchase the vehicle at a drastically reduced cost. She mentioned the number $389 several times, but she said in that moment she was unable to confirm the exact number.
Mooney told Minard after he asked if he could use the charging station should he hypothetically purchase an electric car, and Mooney told him yes. Public use of the charging station was a condition for the acceptance of the grant.
“Who’s ultimately paying the cost of plugging it in?” asked Minard, saying he didn’t want to see the selectmen’s budget “get banged for a big charge that they don’t have in their budget for the next year.” Minard and the selectmen agreed that it was unlikely, though, that this should be the case.
“I’m all about that,” said Mooney. “We don’t want the ‘gotcha’ at the end.”
“Or in the middle,” stated Minard.
It initially appeared as though the town would acquire a BMW electric vehicle; however, in the end the Nissan Leaf won the bidding process.
“Frankly, I think that’s better,” said Minard.
Selectman Jonathan Henry concurred.
“I’ve had trouble living down the image of a BMW,” said Henry.
Minard shared his vision of the sewer superintendent driving the BMW back to the wastewater treatment plant, eliciting a couple laughs.
“Only in Marion,” said Selectman Jody Dickerson.
Speaking of wastewater and water in general, the town might be able to reduce one of its town meeting articles by $50,000 if it receives a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to help fund the town’s mandated assessment of its water infrastructure.
The Water Infrastructure Assessment and Planning Grant would cover $40,000 of the $150,000 needed to fund the assessment, with $10,000 matched by the town in in-kind services.
Water infrastructure, said Mooney, includes wastewater and stormwater in addition to drinking water. Facilities, pipes, and all aspects of water would be assessed.
The deadline for filing the application for this grant was that day, and Mooney said she could now move forward with the selectmen’s affirmative vote.
The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen was scheduled for March 1 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
By Jean Perry