ark is known for its deep-rooted American history. But now, a new innovation also puts the picturesque park at the heart of the 21st-century eco-evolution.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently installed four stations for charging electric-powered vehicles at the park in Upper Makefield.
The stations are located in the visitors center parking lot, which is just across River Road/Route 32 from the visitors center. Already in place, park officials were, at press time, just waiting for PECO to make a final connection and perform some testing before allowing the stations to go live.
“Hopefully they’ll be operational within the next couple weeks,” said Park Manager George A. Calaba Jr.
DCNR is funding the stations and providing the electricity at no charge, as replicated in other states, Calaba said.
He said the charging stations are a component of the DCNR’s Sustainability Program, which launched under DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. Other state parks are being outfitted with charging stations, too, Calaba said.
“They are being installed in state parks to provide the thousands of Pennsylvanians who already have electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids with places to charge when they visit our public lands,” said Calaba.
“In other words, we want to reduce barriers for those who have EVs, but who may not have the range to get to and from many of the remote park locations across the Commonwealth.”
Calaba said that the focus of the DCNR Sustainability Program is to increase energy efficiency to save taxpayers’ dollars, make improvements that protect resources and the environment, and promote conservation practices at parks and forests, as well as in the communities the DCNR serves.
Some 40 million visitors flock to the parks and forests annually, said Calaba.
Washington Crossing Historic Park offers more than 500 acres of American history, natural beauty and family fun. The park preserves the site where George Washington crossed the Delaware River and turned the tide of the Revolutionary War.
