CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – “You may get a charge out of this,” said Clarion County Engineer Kevin Reichard as he presented an application for approval of plans for electric vehicle charging stations at the Clarion Walmart at the February meeting of the Clarion County Planning Commission.
Planning Commission members powered forward as they discussed the proposal.
The Walmart Real Estate Business Trust proposed to place an electric vehicle charging station with four designated spaces in 10 existing parking spaces at the north loop of the existing Clarion Walmart parking lot.
Commission members approved two modification applications consisting of relief from the minimum 10′ x 20′ parking space size requirement and relief from the 40-foot minimum front building setback requirements. A preliminary land development application was also approved.
“I did not travel to the Clarion meeting in an electric car because I have to build the network first,” said Richard A. Gershman, Project Development Manager of North East Region Electrify America, LLC, based in Reston, VA.
Richard A. Gershman, Electrify America.
“This is part of the Electrify America initiative. We’re part of a consent decree that was part of the settlement that Volkswagen made with the EPA. This is part of a national investment of $2 billion over 10 years. Our first cycle ends June of 2019 and in that first cycle, we hope to build, and we’re pretty much on track to build 452 stations nationwide. It’s highway and metro. This location is what’s known as a highway station.”
“Currently in Pennsylvania, we have a station in DuBois, Carlisle, Bloomsburg, and King of Prussia. We have stations that are going into construction in Pennsylvania during the next couple of weeks in Bedford, Belle Vernon, East Stroudsburg, and Erie. This is the first cycle, and as we finish it up, we go into our second cycle, and we’ll decide where to put the next stations based on demand.”
Gershman said the Walmart facility would feature fast-charging stations that will charge vehicles in 15 to 20 minutes. Locations of charging stations throughout the United States are available on Electric America’s website and most electric vehicles have that information as part of their dashboard.
According to Wikipedia, Electrify America is a company that owns and manages an electric vehicle charging network. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America, established in 2017 by the automaker as part of its efforts to offset emissions in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal.
Electrify America is building a network that includes non-proprietary electric vehicle chargers (CCS, CHAdeMO, and J1772 standards) at over 650 community-based sites and nearly 300 highway sites across the country.
In other business:
• Paul W. and Linda Wingard received preliminary approval for Scientel Tower Properties, LLC, to construct proposed 260′ commercial tower in Elk Township. The land under consideration is 129 acres in size.
• Robert A. Forell received final approval for a 570 square-foot building addition in Paint Township. The building has been constructed and will be used mainly for storage.
• Joe B. Ferguson received preliminary and final approval for a minor subdivision application and modification of the 40-foot side building setback requirements for his property in Clarion Township that formerly housed the YMCA.
• Final approval for the construction of an 89,100 square-foot Dollar General in Limestone Township was approved. Located on the site of the former Midway Drive-in, the Dollar General is believed to be the last of several stores constructed in Clarion County, “at least for now.”
• Approved a minor subdivision application from Thomas L. McCombie, et. al. in Beaver Township to divide the property.
• Reviewed the Department of Environmental Protection, US Environmental Protection Agency, 2019 Mine Safety, and Healthcare Administration project valued at $780,432.06. The planning commission had no comment.
• Approved a letter of support requested by the Allegheny Valley Land Trust to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) grant application for the revitalization of the Brady Tunnel.
• Provided a letter of support requested by the Clarion County Commissioners for a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Park Rehabilitation and Development Grant for an inclusive playground at the county park.
Attending the meeting were Keith Decker (Chairman, Beaver Township), Hugh Henry (Monroe Township), Fred Anderson (Redbank Township), Joe Burns Jr. (Paint Township), Mike Hindman (Monroe Township), Eugene Metcalf (Piney Township), Roger Nulph (New Bethlehem Borough), and Tom J. Spence (Elk Township).
