Proposal to Construct Charging Stations Around ODU Bike Racks

Spencer Foulk

Old Dominion University

ENGL 231C: Introduction to Technical Writing

Professor Jadwiga Staniszewska-De Mott

March 14, 2022

To: The department of Transportation and Parking Services

From: Spencer Foulk & Chris Behre

Date: March 14, 2022

Subject: Constructing Charging Stations Around ODU Bike Racks

Introduction:

With an ongoing increase in production, usage, and ownership, regarding transportation devices on ODU, storage solutions will soon be problematic. While it is satisfactory to bring your transportation device into the classroom for storage, it can quickly lead to hazardous situations. I present this proposal in hopes of persuading Old Dominion University’s Transportation and Parking Services to construct a charging station next to bike racks on campus.

Current Situation:

“Since 2016, more than 35 colleges across the United States have crafted efforts to offer students scooters as an alternative to driving or walking – and this number continues to grow.” (Bucchino, 2017). Odu has implemented their own scooters and bikes in cooperation with Lime Micro Mobility. While this is true, there are students that prefer to use their own transportation device. With the usage of scooters, bikes, and hoverboards, as a means of transportation around campus, the means of storing and ensuring a concurrent battery strength for those said devices becomes difficult.

Since 2016 the effect of the Corona Virus remains prevalent requiring masks all around campus. The usage of public scooters is not ideal and unsanitary given their constant use around campus. “This week, e-scooter startup Lime announced it was temporarily suspending operations in countries across the world, including the U.S., because of the coronavirus, and its main competitor, Bird, said it was pausing operations in some U.S. cities.” (Felton,2020). Given the date of the article, this should be in the past, but with the ongoing increase in Covid-19 cases, a restriction like this could occur elsewhere besides cities.

 This temporarily decreased the use of electric scooters causing an increase in the amount of student-owned transportation devices. Campus-owned scooters and bikes began to clutter on racks with nowhere to store personal means of transportation. As a solution, students have turned to their classrooms as accommodation. Doing so allowed them to charge, store, and keep a close eye on their devices. This is not a suitable solution, since the devices are prone to hazardous situations like tripping, distraction, and malfunction to name a few. On top of that ODU states that,” Scooters and electric scooters must only be parked in paved areas adjacent to bike racks. They shall not prevent access to bicycles parked at a bike rack.” (Old Dominion University, 2019). The absence of a charging station leaves students with nowhere to store their devices outdoors, tardiness, and frustration due to inefficiencies.

Project Plan:

As a solution to the situation, I recommend that Old Dominion University follow the steps included.

1. Choosing locations

First, I want to choose a location to set up the charging stations. Instead of building one station per building, I suggest a total of eight stations, in select locations, to lower costs and increase use. Placing them in hot spots close to bike racks is key to ensure that they are used and appreciated.

1. Find eight spots around the campus for charging stations.

2. A few examples of viable spots include.
3. Perry Library
4. The engineering Building
5. Physical Sciences Building
6. Theatre Building
7. University Center
8. The MGD Building
9. Constant Hall
10. BAL Building
11.   Survey spots around campus.

Surveying will let us know if the area is stable for construction. Building on unstable land and skipping surveys will be detrimental involving overhead costs for repair, maintenance, and foreseeable problems in the future.

1. The workers will survey each of the eight recommended spots above: collecting dimensions for future work.
2. Purchasing equipment

The third step requires us to purchase the stations. Finishing the preparation was necessary to avoid an increase in time for the project.

1. After the dimensions have been verified, the stations and materials for the shelter can be purchased.
2. Build charging stations and shelter.

Now that everything is in check, I can begin the building process with the items that were purchased in step III.  Building the charging stations is going to be the most tasking part of the project.

1. Students will be notified to remain cautious over the week during construction.
2. With the preparation out of the way, construction can finally begin.
3. A glass shelter will surround the charging station. There will be a flat roof on top to prevent intrusion. The shelter will be 12 x 12 feet with bike racks along the outer three walls excluding the entrance.
4. Suggestion: To save on labor, contacting volunteer organizations on campus could serve as community service hours and decrease costs.

Figure 2

Qualifications: 

The volunteer organizations on campus should be qualified for the construction of the charging stations. If this turns up false, then the organization that I contact should meet the necessary qualifications. 

Cost and Benefits:

Budget Table
Categories	Cost	Hours	Total
Labor
Electrician	$175 per shelter	N/A	$1,400.00
Installation (concrete)	$1.50 per sq ft	N/A	$1,728.00
Construction	$75 per hour	60	$4500.00
Materials and Equipment
Charging Station	$250 per unit	N/A	$2,000.00
Wood	$3 per sq ft	N/A	$3,456.00
Glass	$5 per sq ft	N/A	$21,120.00
Metal (eight metal beams per shelter)	10 per sq ft	M/A	$7,680.00
concrete	$6 per sq ft	N/A	$6,912.00
Management
Scott Silsdorf	$48.00	40	$1,920.00
Megan Gribble	$40.00	40	$1,600.00
Total Cost			$52,316.00

The budget is based on 1,728 cubic feet per charging station with the given materials.

            ODU does not allow the storage of scooters indoors. Because of this, it is a costly yet viable solution towards the given problem.  This shelter will reduce tardiness, increase space, and remove hazardous transportation in the classroom. The unique part about this shelter is that it serves as a charge station so that you are ready to go after dismissal. The shelter will protect and charge the scooters from dangerous weather and thieves.

Conclusion:

Interest in personally owned transportation will continue to grow. It is best to utilize this opportunity now instead of waiting until it becomes a problem. Going along with the construction of charging stations benefits the students at Old Dominion University by providing a new choice of convenience. Thank you for your time and appreciation. I wish for nothing else but to make this campus a better place. Hopefully, I hear back from you soon.

Contact us at-

Sfoul001@odu.edu

Word Count: 1,070

Peer Review: Reyani Sangaran

References

Bucchino, Racheal, “Electric Scooters on College Campuses Look Like They Have a Bumpy

Road Ahead of Them,” Maryland, Cnsmaryland.com, (Published October 10, 2017). From

Felton, Ryan, “Avoid Coronavirus While Riding a Rented Bike or Scooter,”

consumerreports.org, (Published March 19, 2020). From https://www.consumerreports.org/electric-scooters/avoid-coronavirus-when-riding-a-rented-electric-scooter-a3261827285/

Old Dominion University,”3231 University Policy,” Odu.Edu, (Published August 9, 2019).

From