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Council approves next phase of broadband internet project

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

The future is now.

The Charles City Council voted to approve the next phase in the proposed $11.5 million fiber-to-the-home broadband internet project at Monday’s regular meeting.

This next phase in the plan to provide internet, video (TV) and telephone to residents and businesses of Charles City is the design and engineering step, that will cost about $381,000.

The city will hire Lookout Point Communications to start with the business plan at a cost not to exceed $95,000 to perform the network architecture and work scope.

City Administrator Steve Diers said there could be some overlap sharing with New Hampton that could reduce costs in this phase since that community is also going through this process.

NewCom Technologies will be responsible for the outside point architecture (OSP) at a cost of $286,070. That price is based on $0.86 per lineal feet. Part of the work that will be done deals with measuring the physical layout of 332,640 feet or roughly 63 miles.

“This gets us that much closer to fruition of the fiber project becoming a reality,” said Diers.

If all goes as planned, the broadband project could be breaking ground and moving into phase three by spring, according to Diers. Phase three, which is the actual “build phase,” will comprise the bulk of the $11.5 million project if passed. The project has moved past the first stage or feasibility phase.

The Charles City Broadband Commission is still looking to possibly partner with another entity as part of the project and is currently reviewing options concerning a Request for Information sent out in early July to roughly 15 of those possible suitors. The big question in that regard is how much local control would the city want to have in terms of running the network.

Diers said phase two of the project, design and engineering, which was approved by the City Council Monday night, will be funded by existing city reserves out of the general fund.

There also could be a small interim loan taken out to cover that, but the funds for the second phase would ultimately get reimbursed through long-term financing, according to Diers. There is tentatively a reimbursement resolution slated for October 1 at the next regular council meeting.

Mayor Dean Andrews said he has received plenty of positive feedback at various meetings and summits he’s attended recently about other communities and the need for such broadband projects like the one that Charles City is attempting to move forward with.

“The discussion of connectivity and broadband capabilities was brought up at several different sessions. Statewide this is considered a very important thing to have access to,” said Andrews.

Council member DeLaine Freeseman echoed Andrews sentiments and said he thought that taking this next step in the fiber-to-the-home solution can lead to great benefits for the community of Charles City.  

“This committee is not only looking to provide better service to the individuals and businesses in town, but also as a economic development tool for future development of the business community,” said Freeseman.

Also at the meeting Monday, the council approved the first reading of an ordinance to rezone property owned by the Charles City Railway Co. from general manufacturing to service business district.

Robert Moen has created the non-profit group, The American Passenger Train History Museum, in an effort to establish a museum on the property that is located south of 11th Avenue between North Grand and D Street. The proposed museum would feature a building for displays and restored passenger train cars to walk through and experience. A public hearing date of October 1 was set on the rezoning.

The city approved $45,400 in funding in an agreement with Short Elliott Hendrickson for engineering services within the Southwest Development Park to better manage and control  stormwater runoff. The design and bidding phase will cost $22,000 and the construction will cost $23,400. Construction is expected to begin in April and the project completed by July 19. The city has also budgeted $80,000 in the Fiscal Year 2019 for the cost to reconstruct the culvert crossing under 11th Street.

A facade application was submitted to the Community Revitalization Facade Improvement Grant Fund by Guy Bucknell for work done at the Hairstyling Center at 100 N. Main Street. The council approved the remaining amount left in the fund, $5,460, to go toward exposing original windows and replacing them, as well as constructing new doors and new metal sides on the building.

Two temporary construction easements were approved to help fix storm water runoff problems at 800 1st Avenue and 1801 Rolfing Street. Due to previous asphalt overlay on 1st Avenue that decreases gutter capacity, stormwater runoff flows into the driveway at 800 1st Avenue and then causes backyard flooding at the Rolfing address. The problem can be corrected by reconstructing and raising the driveway approach.

 

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