By Becky Killian, Staff Writer

Two parking spaces located off High Street have been designated for use by electric vehicles and will contain charging stations.The decision to set aside those two parking spaces was made during the Monday, Jan. 13, meeting of the Salem Common Council.

The parking spaces are located on the west side of High Street between Walnut and Market streets at the site of the former bank drive-through.

The charging stations will be like the self-serve charging kiosk at Cobblestone Hotel.

Councilman Roger Pennington noted that downtown parking is at a premium and questioned whether the charging stations would get much use. Mayor Justin Green responded that the parking lot never seems to be full. Councilman Danny Libka noted the charging stations could be an asset for tourism.

The change to restrict parking in two of the spaces exclusively for electric vehicles was upheld in a unanimous vote.

Pennington suggested the Council revisit the change in about a year to evaluate how much the charging stations are used.

In other business:
*Both the Board of Works and Common Council reorganized for 2025. Both boards retained the existing meeting dates and times, with the Board of Works meetings at 5 p.m. the second Monday of the month with the Council meeting following at 5:30 p.m. Councilman Dylan Moore was unanimously selected as the Council’s president.
*The Council agreed to purchase 13 automated external defibrillators for use in all the city’s police and fire vehicles. Moore presented the quote to the Council suggesting that opioid funds could be used for the purchase, which is contingent upon confirmation that is an allowed use.