Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Eastham are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at eastham-ma.gov for a link to an agenda and details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, June 6
- NRMS Advisory Council, 3:30 p.m., Middle School Room 269
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 p.m.
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., Middle School Auditorium and online
Monday, June 10
- Climate Action Committee, 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 11
- Conservation Commission on-site, 8:15 a.m.
- Taxation Aid Committee, 11 a.m.
- Capital Projects Committee, 3 p.m.
- School Committee, 5 p.m. Small Meeting Room and online
- Conservation Commission, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, June 12
- Nauset High School Building Committee, 5:30 p.m., online
Thursday, June 13
- Affordable Housing Trust, 9 a.m.
Conversation Starter
Charging to Charge
Owners of electric cars have been able to power up free for the last two years at four town-owned charging stations. But Assistant Town Manager Rich Bienvenue suggests it’s time for a change. The select board on June 3 continued the conversation to give the public a chance to comment.
Under Eversource’s Make Ready Program, the town received electric upgrades at town hall and the library for two charging stations at each location. At the outset, the select board agreed that offering free public charging would encourage the use of electric vehicles.
Since then, a total of 34,000 KWh has been provided to the public at the library charging stations and 16,800 KWh at the town hall. The cost of the electricity was about $15,000, picked up by the town.
The town’s electric supply contract is set to expire on July 1, and the new rate will be about 35 percent higher, Bienvenue said, so the cost of subsidizing the charging would significantly increase. There is also the expense of maintaining the four stations.
Bienvenue supplied a sampling of charging station rates in the area: $0.45/kwh at the Four Points Sheraton, $1.50 at Provincetown’s MacMillan Wharf, $1.00 at Cape Cod Community College, and $0.42 at Orleans Cape Cod Rail Trail.
He suggested the town charge $.50/kwh to help cover the cost of the electricity, plus a $1 transaction fee. “I view these rates as a starting point,” Bienvenue wrote. As EV infrastructure expands, he said that full cost recovery might become appropriate. —Christine Legere
