Forest Park was recently awarded a grant from ComEd to build a few more charging stations in the village.
The utility announced, Aug. 2, that it was awarding 21 community grants totaling $171,000 “to help launch community-driven projects across the region, from innovative pedestrian safety technology to clean transportation projects that support the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and are designed to reduce carbon emissions and improve community resiliency,” ComEd officials explained in a statement.
ComEd said the Forest Park grant will support the installation of two EV charging stations at the Constitution Court parking lot on Madison Street next to Doc Ryan’s.
“This year’s program fulfills our commitment to helping cities and towns across ComEd’s service territory achieve the vision of the Illinois Climate & Equitable Jobs Act and adopt new technology that will accelerate electrification, improve air quality and make our communities cleaner and safer for the future,” said ComEd CEO Gil C. Quinones.
“We expect to see more electric vehicles in and around Forest Park over the next decade,” said Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins. “So this grant, which gives us the capacity to charge four vehicles, will help the village meet its goal of locating charging stations in places where consumers eat and shop.”
The grants are part of ComEd’s 2022 Powering Safe Communities program, which has been established for eight years. The utility has given out 157 grants and $1.7 million over that time.
“Electric vehicles and charging stations have significant emission benefits over conventional vehicles,” said Kevin Burns, mayor of Geneva and chairman of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus’ Environment Committee.
“By working with ComEd to provide grant funding to communities and through the EV Readiness partnership, we are clearing the way to electrify our cities throughout the metropolitan region and beyond,” Burns said.
The ComEd grant comes a few months after Mayor Hoskins joined the Cross-Community Climate Collaborative (C4) along with more than a dozen other mayors across the west suburbs.
According to the collaborative’s memorandum of understanding, the initiative is designed to “bring together BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and People of Color] and non-minority communities across income lines to share ideas, secure resources, and drive large-scale projects within and across communities that achieve agreed upon greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, equity, and sustainability goals.”
Village officials in participating suburbs agree to participate in monthly “cross-community” team meetings, establish a sustainability working group or commission, and raise awareness about the C4 initiative, among other responsibilities.
CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com
