Plumas County is moving into the EV age with the approval of two electric vehicle charging stations, to be installed in Quincy at Dame Shirley Plaza.
The charging stations will help attract tourists to the county and benefit local businesses as well, said Jim Graham, executive director of the Plumas County Transportation Commission.
“We have a need for an EV infrastructure” sooner rather than later, Graham told the supervisors Sept. 17.
Many tourists base their travel on the availability of EV charging stations, said Supervisor Greg Hagwood, chair of the Plumas County Board of Supervisors. With no public places to charge an electric vehicle, Plumas County faces the risk of being left behind. That would mean missing out on the economic and environmental benefits of an expanded EV network, he said.
Hagwood endorsed installation of the charging stations. “This will allow people to select Plumas County,” he said.
Debra Lucero, county administrative officer, said the availability of EV charging was the No. 1 question asked by people considering attending the recent Americana Festival, held Labor Day weekend at the Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds in Quincy.
EVs are here, she said: “It’s to our advantage to get something going.”
Avoiding an installation delay
The Plumas County Transportation Commission was awarded a $190,000 California Department of Transportation Sustainable Communities grant to develop an infrastructure master plan that includes charging stations throughout the county. The plan, however, will not be completed for at least another year. Graham asked the supervisors to authorize the Dame Shirley installation immediately.
The Plumas transportation commission has a pool of funds that can pay for the immediate installation of the charging stations in Quincy, Graham said. Once installed, the county will own them. Graham will use a management platform to monitor and maintain the stations. County workers can track the operations from a website, making adjustments remotely, he said.
Customers will pay for their EV charge with a credit card. The management company will collect the electricity fees charged by Pacific Gas and Electric Co., take its cut, and pass the bill on to the county transportation commission. Customer usage will largely pay for the operation, but the county can use transportation commission funds to pay for any difference, Graham said.
The chargers Graham intends to install are the less expensive slower chargers, he said. Everyone wants the expensive fast ones, but these will help tourists circulate throughout the Quincy commercial corridor, benefiting local businesses. Eventually Plumas County will have a mix of fast and slow EV charging stations, he said.
Supervisor Tom McGowan’s motion for approval passed 4-0. Supervisor Kevin Goss did not attend the Sept. 17 meeting.
Close Court Street in Quincy?
A preliminary proposal to redesign the intersection of Main, Crescent and Court streets in Quincy proved far more controversial than the EV charging station. The complicated juncture of three streets on a corner has been problematic for years, said Graham.
Motorists enter it driving far too fast and pedestrians ignore the crosswalks at their peril, Caltrans officials learned during a public meeting held in 2022, said Graham. His preliminary proposal is based on conversations with Caltrans held two years ago.
It would involve Court Street. That would eliminate access to and from State Route 70, also known as Crescent Street.
Members of the public criticized the commission for a proposal that lacks data and has not been presented to residents of the area. Graham said he was not asking for approval of any changes. That will come in several months, when he will have a full traffic analysis that looks at operations at the intersection from a traffic standpoint.
Graham said he plans to hold a public meeting prior to a board of supervisors presentation that will include a formal proposal. If approved, the construction of the closure would be performed by Caltrans during the 2028 Quincy Pavement Rehabilitation Project.
