Electric vehicle charging stations added to Willoughby City Hall

Marah Morrison, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·2 min read

Mar. 8—Two Leviton Level 2 charging stations for electric vehicles are now a new addition to the Willoughby City Hall parking lot.

Located at 1 E. Spaulding St. in downtown Willoughby, the stations are able to accommodate up to four electric vehicles at the charging rate of $1.40 per kilowatt hour. Parking at the stations is permitted only while charging. No overnight parking will be permitted.

According to Willoughby Mayor Robert Fiala, funding for these stations and their installation came from a grant awarded by NOPEC. While charging their vehicles, Fiala has hopes they will take the opportunity to experience the city's historic downtown, as well as Todd Field.

"These stations are only one of two EV charging locations in Willoughby," Fiala said. "However, we were recently notified that NOACA has awarded funding for three more charging stations in our city. We hope to see the use of our new EV charging stations promote additional traffic and business to our downtown merchants, restaurants and Todd Field."

Earlier this year, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency was awarded $15 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation under its Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program. According to NOACA, the funding will go toward Phase 2 of its regional Electric Vehicle Charging Station Program.

NOACA began Phase 1 of the program in order to implement 40 stations around the region in 2023. Phase 2, building off of Phase 1, will include approximately 63 more sites in Northeast Ohio, including Cleveland and the surrounding counties of Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina.

In a statement, NOACA Executive Director and CEO Grace Gallucci said his organization is thrilled they are competitively selected among many projects across the nation.

"EV networks are rapidly growing and Northeast Ohio will be able to meet this demand, and embrace a clean energy economy," she said.

In 2019, NOACA began developing its EV program with regional partners. The program focuses on ideal siting locations of charging stations throughout the five-county region, including locations with equity, coverage and proximity to job hubs, workforce development centers and locations with concentrations of multi-family housing.

Thanks to the NOPEC grant, Willoughby can now offer residents and visitors the convenience of EV charging stations, said Willoughby Service Director Rich Palmisano.

The recent installation of the charging stations at Willoughby City Hall marks a significant step toward supporting the growing number of electric vehicles owners, but also demonstrates the city's commitment to being customer, visitor and resident friendly, said Economic Development Director Tom Thielman.

"This initiative also aligns with our goals of environmental stewardship and is a positive investment that benefits both Downtown Willoughby and the environment," he said.