VALATIE–The Kinderhook Town Board is moving forward with a grant application to install an electric vehicle charging station at the Martin H. Glynn Municipal Building’s front parking lot.

The board passed a motion at their April 2 meeting to support the grant application to the state. This is the second round of state grants for municipalities to receive funds for charging stations. The Towns of Chatham and Ghent each received similar grants in 2017 and are moving forward with their plans to put charging stations at either end of the Village of Chatham.

Robyn Reynolds of the Capital District Regional Planning Commission was at meeting last month. She has been working with the town’s Smart Climate Committee and said that there is already a draft application for the charging station.

Councilman Phil Bickerton said that the grant would cover the cost of installing one charging station. Supervisor Pat Grattan said that there were over 70 electric vehicles in the county and that Kinderhook, with more than a dozen, has the highest concentration of those vehicles. He and Ms. Reynolds said that while people use the charging station they can walk to Main Street in Valatie and visit the local businesses. Ms. Reynolds said that one of the reasons they were applying for a charger at the Glynn Building was that it already has access to electricity for the station to hook into, unlike the municipal parking lots on Main Street.

She did say that grants are given out on a “first come, first served” basis, so it was important that the town was moving forward. Municipalities have until late May to apply.

“It’s a good thing,” Mr. Grattan said of the charger.

Ms. Reynolds said there were still some details to be worked out before the grant application is finalized.

To contact reporter Emilia Teasdale email