City of Frostburg Welcomes Electric Vehicle Charger Installed by Potomac Edison

The City of Frostburg and Potomac Edison have partnered together to install an electric vehicle charging station which residents have public use of.

Nina Forsythe, Commissioner of Water, Parks & Recreation says, “this all started when I heard that someone in Friendsville, Maryland had been contacted by Potomac Edison about putting in an EV charger there.”

Forsythe, an electric vehicle owner herself, thought that Frostburg could use a charger, too. Thus, she reached out to Potomac Edison last August and they “responded positively,” she says.

“I met with Jim Crowder, Potomac Edison’s External Affairs Consultant, and a bunch of other Potomac Edison guys, to discuss how it would work. They assured me that it wouldn’t cost the city anything, that we would just have to sign an agreement for the use of the site, and they asked us to suggest a few possible sites.”

After pitching the idea to her fellow City Councilors, Mayor Robert Flanigan, Director of Public Works Chris Hovatter, and City Administrator Elizabeth Stahlman, the group worked to identify a location for the charging station.

“We came up with a few sites but all agreed that the St. Michael parking lot would be the best location,” says Forsythe. “We met there in November and Potomac Edison scouted it out regarding the location of electrical lines, space for the base and meter, and considerations of placement in the parking lot.”

The St. Michael parking lot is located on 1st Street, just behind the church sanctuary. 1st Street runs parallel to Main Street.

The unit itself, a ChargePoint Level 2, can serve two cars at a time. It features contact-less payment through Apple and Google Pay, and can accept WiFi enabled debit and credit cards. The cost of service is flexible and dependent on a number of factors. Currently, the price is set at $0.16 per kilowatt hour of electricity. The ChargePoint 2 offers a number of language selections, as well, including Spanish and French.

The City of Frostburg has a significant number of electric vehicle owners including FSU freshman Will Coburn.

“As an electric vehicle owner and local environmental activist, I am pleased to know that an EV charging station has been installed in Frostburg,” says Coburn. “This is not only a great way to reduce tailpipe emissions from our atmosphere, it is a great way to put Frostburg on the map.”

Coburn sees the charging station as a way to “preserve our environment and boost business” as the charging station is near many of Main Street’s shops and restaurants.

“I am thrilled that it’s been installed and I look forward to a Grand Plug-In, as opposed to a ribbon cutting,” says Forsythe. A date for the Grand Plug-In has not yet been set.