This browser does not support the Video element.
Veterans Park EV charging station plan
Milwaukee wants to put an electric vehicle charging station at Veterans Park, but it's not a done deal yet. Milwaukee County has final approval.
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee wants to put an electric vehicle charging station at Veterans Park, but it's not a done deal yet. Here's why.
EV charger plan
The backstory:
The Common Council approved a plan roughly two months ago that would use $200,000 of federal funding to put EV chargers at the park.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
"They already selected where they wanted it to go, what they wanted to do, how much they wanted to spend," said County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman.
Wasserman said the $200,000 only covers installation and five years of operating costs. After that, he said, nobody knows what would happen.
"Who's patrolling the area? What about safety issues? This is an isolated spot – especially in fall and winter when the weather gets bad," he said. "People don’t want to come and park in a lot that’s unattended."
County approval
What they're saying:
Final approval rests with Milwaukee County. Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman asked for community feedback on the plan and got some mixed opinions.
"I am an EV driver. I like my EV, but there is a fairness question," said Wasserman.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
The question Wasserman is asking: Does the community want to see EV chargers at Veterans Park?
"Does somebody really want to park here for six-to-eight hours – that's all we are going to get here is Level 2 stations," he said.
Plans for EV charging stations at Veterans Park
What's next:
The County Parks and Culture Committee is set to vote on the idea at an upcoming meeting.
"I believe in them, I think we should have more stations available," said Wasserman. "I just don’t see charging stations here – it’s not going to be protected."
That said, Wasserman wants to hear what the community thinks about the city’s plan. He said he received 103 responses to his newsletter question and "people feel very strongly about this." He said public opinion will help form his own opinion on the matter – and feedback remains welcome.
The Source: FOX6 News interviewed Wasserman