SUMMERDALE - Summerdale Mayor David Wilson has shown interest in bringing charging stations for electric cars to the downtown area. While no official decision has been made, the town Economic Development Department is looking into grants and information on what it may take to bring the units to the community.

Wilson stated with the rise in popularity for these vehicles, he feels bringing a super charging station, which takes approximately thirty minutes to charge a vehicle, would put the town ahead of the game.

“People who have these cars, whenever they’re running low on power, they hit their GPS and it’ll say there’s a charging station in Summerdale,” he said. “This would bring them into downtown Summerdale and they could charge their car while they walk around our park, see what shopping and dining we have to offer. It’s an awesome way to bring people into the town, and an asset to draw businesses to around the park.”

Councilmember Norma Giles voiced concerns over spending money to pursue the project without any guarantee of a return. Councilmember Travis Townsend, on the other hand, expressed interest, stating he knew someone who drove an electric car and while on trips would stop every four hours to recharge, using that time to eat, shop, and relax.

“It’s something to think about and something to look into,” Wilson said. “We really need to make sure that we’re not keeping our heads in a box when it comes to what the future’s going to hold, you need to be innovative … There’s a lot of things you can walk to from our park, which would be a great place to locate these, so please don’t be closedminded. Let’s keep an open mind and look into this.”

For more information on the Town of Summerdale, check out www.summerdaleal.com.