Silver Lake School Committee Votes to Pursue EV Charging Stations, Realign Capital Funds

PLYMPTON -- September 5, 2024, Silver Lake Regional School Committee votes to pursue EV charging stations and overhaul its capital spending plan. The committee voted 8-1 Thursday to authorize a non-binding application for fast-charging electric vehicle stations at the high school, a proposal from Anovus Energy that could yield between $17,000 and $23,000 annually through a revenue-share arrangement with a third-party station owner, contingent on a 30 or 40 percent profit-share tier. School Business Manager Sarah Hickey also won unanimous approval to redirect roughly $142,442 in unspent and reallocated capital funds toward the district's first comprehensive facilities study since approximately 2014 and immediate HVAC repairs, a move prompted by what Hickey called a reckoning with years of account misclassification and deferred systems planning. The committee separately approved paying $18,330 in overdue prior-year bills, including $15,330 owed to WCL Transportation for homeless student transport, from the district's excess-and-deficiency fund. Driver's education fees will rise from $700 to $825 beginning with the next session.