Paul Porter’s dream to install free electric vehicle charging stations in downtown Iola has been unplugged — at least for now.
Iola City Council members rejected Monday, with a 4-3 vote, Porter’s request to have the stations placed along the sidewalk next to his building at the intersection of Jackson and Washington Avenues.
The problem, Council members noted, was Porter’s request to install private equipment on the city right-of-way.
Porter and wife Haylee Derryberry own the Shannon Building, and opened Derryberry Breadery there last week.
One of Porter’s visions was to install the EV charging stations on the sidewalk on the west side of the building, allowing electric vehicle owners a free charging service.
The free charging Porter explained, was to entice vehicle owners to visit his wife’s eatery and other businesses downtown while the vehicles are charging.
“I want to see Iola at the cutting edge of this,” he said. “If we don’t we’re just going to fall into irrelevance. Something needs to be put in place. … Maybe we should put our heads together on something, and figure out how to make this easier for other people coming forward.”
Council members were supportive of the concept when Porter brought the idea in January, asking City Administrator Matt Rehder to draw up a franchise agreement.
He did so, but with it, he and City Attorney Bob Johnson both noted the catch: allowing a private construction project on a city right-of-way would set a troublesome precedent.
“It’s a unique situation,” Johnson acknowledged. “If the city doesn’t follow up with what has been done historically, it could create a problem down the road for other entities.”
Porter said he understood the issue, but pointed to the growing number of electric vehicles across the country, and in Iola and Allen County, and the unique nature of his building.
The Shannon Building housed gasoline pumps in the first half of the 20th century when Shannon Hardware was in business. One of the building’s peculiarities is that its basement is connected to another room directly below the sidewalk.
Porter suspects that’s where the gasoline tanks were kept.
“Our main water line from the city comes in the exact same place these electric lines will be running,” Porter said. “We’re not creating anything new as far as utilities underneath the right-of-way. What it amounts to is an RV hooking sitting in the footprint the size of a pay phone or a parking meter.”
“The issue is the 240 volts of power coming up through the sidewalk,” Assistant City Administrator Corey Schinstock replied. “If you were to build in that room, you’re gonna have to get a permit, and it’s going to get denied because of the public right-of-way. That’s the gist of it.”
