New York State has awarded the city of Dunkirk $53,400 for 14 electric vehicle charging stations.

It’s part of a $4.85 million grant announced recently by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The grant is intended to support the installation of electric vehicle chargers as part of the state’s Municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Grants program. Dunkirk is the only municipality in Chautauqua County to get money in this round of funding.

“The funded projects support New York’s ongoing efforts to advance clean transportation, expand publicly available electric vehicle chargers, and help reduce pollution including greenhouse gas emissions for a cleaner and greener environment,” according to the state’s press release.

Vince DeJoy, Dunkirk’s planning and development director, said the city proposed 16 charging stations and received funding for 14. Four sites were proposed for the stations, he said.

Sites proposed for the chargers include the rear parking lot of City Hall, the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Washington Avenue near the city parking lot, Brooks Pavilion in Point Gratiot, and the Boardwalk near the intersection of Central Avenue and Lake Shore Drive.

Some points of the project are unclear. DeJoy wouldn’t commit to a time frame for installing the chargers, noting that the city must put together a bunch of contracts and work with the state to get them in.

It’s also not clear if all of the four proposed sites will get chargers, or how many would be at each site. According to DeJoy, that’s pretty much up to the state.

The city planning director did point out that the city’s share of work on the project is getting funded through a $97,902 matching grant from the National Grid NY EV Make Ready program. “We sincerely appreciate their support,” he said.

Dunkirk will be making money off the chargers. DeJoy was unsure of the particulars, but said charging station users will have to pay for the electricity they use.

“My administration is committed to advancing the transition to a cleaner and healthier future for our environment benefitting all New Yorkers,” Hochul said. ”Our continued investments in electric vehicle infrastructure encourages more drivers to switch to electric, reducing pollution and emissions across the state and improving the health and well-being of our residents and communities.”