Dalton EV Charging Stations Underway

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:35AM / Friday, April 14, 2023Print Story | Email Story

DALTON, Mass. — The Dalton Green Committee voted to use ChargePoint for the electric vehicle (EV) charging stations during its meeting last week.

The town allocated $42,000 to fund the Green Committee's request for two electric vehicle charging stations. There are two EV ports per station.

The vendor who installs the stations and the Central Berkshire Regional Planning Commission did not recommend that the town use Flo, a Canadian company, committee member Tony Pagliarulo said.

Pagliarulo also said he reached out to Flo on two occasions and did not hear back. Although Flo is popular in Canada he would rather go with ChargePoint because they are also popular and have a good track record.

Pagliarulo said he has not had an issue using ChargePoint with his vehicle. The company has 24/7 service to assist customers and has been more than willing to communicate.

Green Committee member Thomas Irwin was concerned because there is not a lot of "practical information" available to the town regarding which company to use.

Although there is a lot of academic information there is not a lot of information on personal experiences with EV providers for the Berkshires, he said.

Concord has a lot more money than Dalton and officials there were concerned about ChargePoint, Irwin said. What happens if the town installs ChargePoint and discovers there is a better option?

If the town discovers a better option then the committee can vote on utilizing those providers for future stations, was the response.

The town plans to install the station at the Community Recreation Association. If that option does not pan out then the next spot up for consideration will be Kelly's Package Store.

These options were considered due to their high volume of traffic and because there isn't an added cost for paving.

The committee voted to submit a scope of work to bidders for the EV charging stations as soon as possible.

The cost of the material such as the signs, paint, and bollards are already budgeted in the $42,000 but the committee is going to reach out to Highway Superintendent Edward "Bud" Hall to see if he can provide the labor.

The Senior Center and Pine Grove Park are up for consideration for potential future EV station projects. The Senior Center had a charging station installed in 2017 through a Green Communities grant.

Tags: electric vehicle, green communities,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

Now's the time...

to harvest value from your home. Click for more details about a HELOC. Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Wants People to Know Where Free Public Wifi Is

By Brittany PolitoiBerkhshires Staff
04:46AM / Friday, September 18, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city wants it to be clear where people can connect to free public wifi— which expands beyond downtown.

On Tuesday, the Parks Commission approved "Free Wifi" signage at The Common, Riverway Park, and Durant Park. Community members can access the internet without charge in these locations, as well as in downtown areas.

Two years ago, Pittsfield received a $99,972 Digital Equity Implementation Grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. This allowed the city to take a comprehensive look at digital equity and determine where to focus attention.

"That was a lengthy process that we worked on, and there was a lot of public input. We did some surveying. We met with a lot of focus groups; [Berkshire Regional Planning Commission] was the group that spearheaded that for us, and one of the things that came up was the lack of accessible wifi," Director of Community Development Justine Dodds reported. "Particularly in the westside."

Throughout this process, residents also wanted to see connectivity at the nearby Westside Riverway Park.

In 2023, Pittsfield was selected to participate in the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program launched by the state and MBI, focused on ensuring residents can use the internet to conduct day-to-day activities. A digital equity plan also qualifies Pittsfield for additional grant funding.

Around 16,000 city households qualified for the Federal Communications Commission's affordable internet program that ended in 2024.

Dodds said adding Wi-FI and signage to Durant and Riverway Parks is a small piece of the larger digital equity project. Signage is already downtown, and the city plans to hire the same designer for the expanded wayfinding so it is cohesive.

View Full Story