Thanks a million for Lynne Dahl-Fleming for sending the latest on the Monticello situation. I want to give Monticello three cheers for driving ahead with their plan. It is great to see a community that is so focused on getting fiber that they refuse to be distracted or detained by adversity. Also, the article includes some nice, real numbers for communities who are interested in fiber themselves.

Monticello Times Newspaper – June 26, 2008

FiberNet Update

The fiber optics committee asked council to consider moving forward on the FiberNet project by constructing a subset of the larger project, called the Fiber Loop, which would include connecting important commercial, industrial and civic facilities in the Monticello area.

The service provided would include high-speed data only.

The estimated cost to construct and operate the system is estimated at $1.74 million, with projected revenue being sufficient to cover capital and operation expenses.

The project is fully separate form the legal challenge currently being presented by TDS Telecom.

In other FiberNet news, the council awarded Schulender Construction, Inc., the bid for the fiber optics head-end building site’s grading and utility improvements in the amount of $133,874.

The improvements include grading the site to allow for construction of the head-end building and garage as well as the proposed outside storage area where the antennae/satellite dishes will be located and a 6-foot black vinyl coated chain link fence surrounding the site.

Council also approved the bid for the construction of the fiber optics head-end building to KC Companies, Inc., in the amount of $555,000 for the base bid and $14,500 for the alternate bid; well below the engineer’s estimate for the bids.

Construction of the head-end building is planned for mid-August with final completion set for the end of November of this year.

The building will be located south of the city’s newest water tower, which is off of School Boulevard, near River City Extreme. Council determined the location of the building at a meeting earlier this spring.