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Alternative fueling station could be coming to Naperville

A compressed natural gas station has been in the city of Naperville's plans for several years as a way to help the environment and save on fuel, and now it appears the project is close to moving forward.

Instead of building a station on its own for roughly $2 million to $3 million, Public Works Director Dick Dublinski said the city has partnered with Trillium CNG, a branch of the Love's Travel Stops company.

With the city's backing, Trillium has been able to receive a $300,000 grant to defray some of the cost of adding a twin-hose fueling pump to the northwest corner of the Naperville Test Track at 1720 W. Jefferson Ave.

"Our business is not running gas stations," Dublinski said. "We have partnered with a private company to do what they do best: Get gas there, pump gas."

The city plans to work out a 10-year lease with Trillium that would involve some element of profit-sharing in exchange for use of the public land, Dublinski said.

The compressed natural gas fueling station would be open to the public 24 hours a day. Anyone with a vehicle that uses the alternative fuel source could fill up there.

Compressed natural gas has been growing slowly in use for the past five years, mainly among fleet vehicles owned by governments and hauling companies. The fuel emits fewer greenhouse gases than gasoline, costs roughly $1.10 a gallon and is readily available through the same pipelines that deliver natural gas to homes and businesses.

Members of Naperville's planning and zoning commission said these pluses are all reasons the city should move forward in its partnership with Trillium to construct the station.

"A lot of trucking companies are going this way," Commissioner Brett Fessler said. "This is a good avenue to pursue."

The Test Track was chosen as the location for the fueling station because of its proximity to Ogden Avenue, Route 59 and I-88 - all well-traveled roads by local fleet vehicles and the general public.

Dublinski said he anticipates the station would be used by Waste Management, Republic Services, the U.S. Post Office and the Naperville Park District, as well as by city vehicles. So far, the city has converted a couple of police cars to run on compressed natural gas, expecting the move to pay off in about six years when the fuel savings from cheaper gas outpace the initial spending on retrofitting the vehicles.

It costs between $8,000 and $14,000 to convert a vehicle to run on compressed natural gas, which is why Dublinski said heavily used trucks and squad cars are among the best options to run on the fuel.

Naperville anticipates converting more of its 580-vehicle fleet to compressed natural gas once the station is built. The project still needs final approval from the city council, mainly to build a fueling station as a conditional use in an area zoned for industrial purposes.

Planning and zoning commissioners have recommended that the city council approve the project.

"I like it because it leads toward the future," Commissioner Robert Williams said about the fueling station. "Whether natural gas is the way of the future or if it's already obsolete, it needs to be tested on a broader range, and this is one good way to do it with a lot of large governmental or quasi-governmental vehicles."

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The DuPage County Forest Preserve District is among agencies that already operate a compressed natural gas fueling station. The city of Naperville wants to build one through a partnership with Trillium CNG, a branch of the Love's Travel Stops company, for use by vehicles from the city, other governmental or business fleets and the public. Daily Herald file photo
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