Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor had to remove an electric vehicle charging station on S. Lake St. earlier this month due to it being placed in the right-ofway.
“Unfortunately, we were not aware of the original plans and were surprised by the construction, along with the Township. If we had known about it, we could have weighed in on the location of these charging stations as it is critical that they are not in the public right of way,” Leelanau County Road Commission Manage Brendan Mullane said.
Mullane added that the road commission did approve a permit for Consumers Energy to install a service from the pole to outside of the right of way.
“If someone hits one of these above ground structures or even the private electric lines underground that are not in the “MISSDIG” system, the “public” could be liable. We wouldn’t let a gas station put pumps or underground tanks in the right of way either,” Mullane said.
Even if Cherry Republic moved them just outside of the right of way to solve the public liability issue, they would still be impacting public parking spaces that would be under Road Commission jurisdiction, but at the desires of the Township.
Glen Arbor Township does not have any ordinances against a business or landowner choosing to put these within their private property, which would allow them to regulate their use and benefit from the power purchased, or the additional traffic to their business without any risk or disruption to the public right of way.
Cherry Republic hired electric vehicle installer Red E Charge to gather permits and installation. Red E also helps in the process of receiving government grants for electric charging stations.
“We learned this site did not work for Leelanau County Road Commission for Glen Arbor Township and even Cherry Republic,” Cherry Republic owner Bob Sutherland said. “We’ve asked Red E to remove them. We are searching for a new site that works for all parties.”
Despite the setback, Sutherland believes an EV charging station is needed in Glen Arbor.
“We see the need for travelers that have electric cars and we want to be a part of the solution ... We are working with Red E on a new site, but this will take extra time to make sure that a site is suitable.”
Sutherland added they are looking to install chargers at their headquarters located on M-22.
