The Pipestone County Star reports…

Pipestone County Commissioners during their Oct. 24 meeting voted to provide $268,822 for a fiber optic internet project Woodstock Communications is planning for the rural area around Hatfield. The funds are contingent upon 75 percent of the total project cost being paid for by a grant.

Woodstock Communications already provides fiber internet access to the northeast part of the county and the cities of Edgerton, Ruthton, Holland and Woodstock. The project in the Hatfield area would provide fiber internet access from state Highway 23 down to the Hatfield area for an estimated cost of $2,150,574. Woodstock Communications General Manager Terry Nelson said an added benefit to the company would be that the project would bring it closer to Pipestone.

“For us that’s a plus,” he said. “We can eventually go in and build out some of the areas around there.”

Nelson said he plans to seek a Minnesota Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant that could cover up to 75 percent of the cost, which would be $1,612,931. That would leave $537,644, which Nelson said is not feasible for the Ruthton-based company. He asked if the county would consider splitting that amount, which he said would make it feasible. …

The commissioners plan to take the funds from the family services fund that’s left over from when the county operated its own family services, which had $764,251.17 in it as of September.

Applications for Border-to-Border grants are due by Dec. 7 and awards are anticipated to be announced in the winter of 2024, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Nelson said that if funds are awarded for the project, construction would probably begin in 2025. Projects need to be complete by June 30, 2026.