Denville’s Mayor, Tom Andes, and Township Administrator, Steven Ward, shared with campaign coordinator, Margaret Berei, the interesting story of their electric vehicle charger’s installation process. High school student Max H. came to speak with the Mayor, asking him to install a charging station in Denville’s downtown for his Eagle Scout Community Service Project. The Mayor knew this was needed, but could only respond to Max by saying that they needed some time to consider how they could possibly make this happen due to the expenses of the proposed station.
The Mayor then explained a shocking twist in the story: just 3 days later, he received an email about the Green Sustainability Grant, funded by the non-profit Sustainable Jersey. After applying and receiving the grant of $10,000, Max’s work continued with Steven, Township Professionals, the Denville Rotary Club and the Green Sustainability Committee. The total project, including all installation, permit, and service fees, cost around $14,000, with the additional $5,000 for the project provided by the Denville Rotary.
One year later when the electric vehicle charging station was fully installed and operational, “it was the 2nd public Electric Vehicle Charging Station owned and maintained by a municipality in the entire State of New Jersey” according to Steven Ward. Today, Max’s charging station project is still making an impact. Steven explained to me that on average, the station boasts 35 unique users monthly, with double the amount of charging sessions due to regular chargers. Reflecting on this long lasting project, the Mayor concluded, “I have seen many Eagle Scout Community Service Projects. There have been several as ambitious, none as expensive or technical.”
