Grant Pays for Buttonwoods Center EV Charging Stations

WARWICK, RI — Warwick has received a $45,000 Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER) grant, which, combined with $39,000 National  Grid incentives, will pay to install three electric vehicle charging stations at the Buttonwoods Community Center/Annex.

“As we look to the future, we need to make energy efficiency options more accessible. The American Lung Association recently released a report that shows increasing the use of electric vehicles will significantly improve air quality and help to address climate change,” said Mayor Solomon. “With 39 miles of coastline, Warwick is particularly vulnerable to climate change; it is incumbent upon us as residents of a coastal community to be stewards of our environment. I view the installation of electric vehicle charging stations as one more way Warwick is helping to build a more sustainable community.”

The OER awarded the grant from its Electrify RI program, which supports the deployment of light-duty electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state. The City has also been awarded the National Grid program incentives, which will offset the entire cost of the charger installation. The work will be completed by RISE Engineering at no cost to the city.

These electric vehicle charging stations will provide greater convenience for Warwick residents and visitors with electric vehicles. Currently, most of the City’s existing public charging stations are near the airport.

The selection of Buttonwoods to locate the charging stations was based on the building’s close proximity to public transportation and electric service. The electric charging stations will be serviced by a separate electric and data feed from a nearby pole (not the building) and will have its own meter and panel located in a small cabinet on-site.

Solomon recently announced plans for his Oakland Beach Resiliency Initiative, which is incorporating a significant amount of funding from the state Department of Environmental Management, the U.S.  Housing & Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Program, and the Coastal Resources Management Council’s (CRMC) Shoreline Adaptation Inventory and Design (SAID) program to implement a large list of improvements that build upon the Mayor’s larger strategy to address Warwick’s water quality and coastal resiliency.

“I’m incredibly proud that in the last 12 months, my Planning Department has successfully applied for and been awarded approximately $884,000 in grant funding. Additionally, we were selected for inclusion in the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank’s Resiliency Workshop program, which prequalifies Warwick for further grant opportunities. We also have a request pending for about $700,000 in Brownfields remediation, which would be used for the area near the Mickey Stevens Sports Complex,” said Mayor Solomon. “Since becoming Mayor, my motto has been doing more with less. By leveraging grant funding opportunities, we’re getting more done in Warwick without tapping into City coffers.”