Car-sharing service takes detour in Evanston

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Updated: September 23, 2011 7:44PM

I-GO, the Chicago-based car-sharing service, was compelled to make a U-turn Wednesday, coming up with an alternate site for one of the city parking lots where the company had hoped to install one of its new electric charging stations.

At the Sept. 21 meeting of the Evanston Transportation/Parking Committee, members asked Jonathan Goldman, Evanston project manager for I-Go Car Sharing — sponsor of the stations — to consider an alternate site to one of its top choices, city parking lot No. 3, at 1701 Orrington Ave., near the Evanston Public Library.

I-GO had proposed putting in charging stations at that location as well as Lot No. 4, at Central Street and Stewart Avenue.

The agency is now considering Lot No. 27 at 1621 Oak Ave., across from the U.S. Postal Service office on Davis Street, after committee member and 1st Ward Alderman Judy Fiske pushed for an alternative.

Fiske, in whose ward Lot 3 is located, said she wanted to support I-GO’s proposal but couldn’t unless an alternative to the lot was found.

She said the lot draws users from the library; the Woman’s Club of Evanston; Evanston Place, a residential building located across the street; and shoppers in the area.

“This is a heavily used lot,” she said. “It’s filled much of the time.”

She also raised concern about the loss of public parking spaces and the revenue they generate.

Evanston Parking Manager Rickey Voss said surveys show the lot has about 70 percent occupancy on average. About half of the lot’s roughly 75 spaces were occupied around 1 p.m. Friday.

Fiske suggested that, with many of I-GO’s customers students, the company explore using space in the Northwestern University lot that serves the administration building.

Fellow Transportation/Parking Committee member Jared Davis also thought the Northwestern space worth exploring.

Hurts for revenue

“The city is bleeding money right now,” he said. “Everywhere you turn the city is bleeding money, letting go of somebody. Just explore another opportunity not too far away.”

Goldman spoke of the benefits I-GO service provides.

Through the service, I-GO users can rely less on car transportation, spending their savings other places, such as at downtown stores.

“I appreciate the amenity you’re providing, but it’s your business too,” Fiske said.

I-GO is proving the electric charging stations to go with the plug-in electric vehicles recently added to their fleet as part of the nonprofit organization’s commitment to sustainable transportation.

I-GO received grant funding from a number of sources, including the Clean Cities Coalition of the state of Illinois, the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation and the city of Chicago, to deploy 36 electric vehicles across the area and to install solar canopies to generate the energy needed to charge the vehicles, staff said in a memo.

I-Go is picking up the cost of installation; in addition, the company will pay a monthly lease of $80 for each parking spot reserved for the I-GO cars. The company estimates its total investment in the project as more than $250,000.

City Council members are scheduled to vote Monday on a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a license agreement for the installation of the charging stations.