LEA KAHN/STAFF

Princeton Council approves bond ordinance, includes EV charging stations

Four public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and the reconstruction of Mount Lucas Road have made it into the $7.1 million bond ordinance that was approved by the Princeton Council at its July 12 meeting.

The four EV charging stations, which would be available to the public, would be located in the municipal parking lot on Witherspoon Street at the Witherspoon Hall municipal building at 400 Witherspoon St. The charging stations would be shared with municipal vehicles.

Two municipal-only EV charging stations are proposed for the Princeton Police Department parking area. The bond ordinance sets aside $152,000 for the proposed EV charging stations.

The bond ordinance also earmarks $2.6 million for the construction of Mount Lucas Road, which includes a $558,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Bicycle and pedestrian improvements also are included in the bond ordinance, which sets aside $224,000 for those purposes. Those improvements have not yet been identified.

Princeton officials are planning to compile a list of priorities. The list will be presented to the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee in August or September to inform the committee of what can and cannot be accomplished with the available money.

Also, there is $64,000 in the bond ordinance to pay for portable radios for the Princeton Police Department, as well as upgrades to the communications center that includes furniture and consoles.

For the Princeton Fire Department, the bond ordinance sets aside $26,000 for mobile and portable radios, and $133,000 for assorted fire equipment, special suits for swiftwater rescues (in lakes and streams), and firefighter turnout gear, such as jackets, pants and helmets.

The Department of Public Works is in line to receive three new dump trucks, complete with a plow in front and a sander in the rear, plus a compactor truck and a pickup truck with a liftgate and a plow – all for a total cost of $947,000.

The bond ordinance earmarks $103,000 for road repairs, including pothole repairs.

And there is $627,000 to cover the costs of buying a scissors lift and garage equipment, plus assorted equipment for the Joseph H. Maher Ecological Center in Lawrence Township that is shared with Princeton.