Cellphone charging station proposed for Coaldale park

Coaldale’s junior council member wants to add a cellphone charging station at the borough park.

Jake Boyle, who was appointed in November, presented the idea to council at the regular meeting Tuesday night.

“I feel like this would be a great idea to attract younger kids to the park and keep them there,” Boyle said.

Boyle presented several options for the board to consider. He favored using a waterproof outlet with USB inputs which is designed to be used in bathrooms. The borough could install the outlet and a cover. Materials will cost less than $100.

“If water is detected, it will shut off, so that no one can get shocked,” Boyle said.

Boyle also looked at purpose-built charging stations, but acknowledged that they were “a little pricey.”

One system had lockers with PIN pads where the user could make their own PIN code and securely charge their phone. The other system had open compartments instead of lockers.

Boyle also provided council with information about how much electricity a phone charger uses. Based on the information from www.energyusecalculator.com, it costs $2.19 per year to run a cellphone charger for 12 hours per day.

Boyle said the charger will benefit parents as well as kids, because it will enable them to stay in constant communication, even if they have drained the battery on their phone.

“If they need to be in contact with their parents, they don’t need to go home and charge their phones. It would also be a great idea for events like Rock the Block,” he said.

Council said it was a good idea and they would look into it. Council member Claire Remington said she is planning to put more benches in the park, and maybe the two projects could be done together.

Anne Girard suggested another piece of cellphone charging equipment that she has in her home that might help.

“We all know they all have their phones,” Council President Angela Krapf said.