Fiber internet is spreading farther in Whitefield Township through Svea. An expanded infrastructure project has been approved by the Kandiyohi County Board and will pass by 70 additional properties from the originally intended 52, for a total of 122 passings.
More on the project…
In April of this year, the voted to approve the installation of fiber internet around Svea in partnership with Vibrant Broadband and Whitefield Township. The original project used American Rescue Plan Act funds, according to Kandiyohi County Administrator Kelsey Baker.
More details…
The expansion of the project will cost the county $88,927.98. This is in addition to the $100,800 in rescue plan dollars approved for the original plan. The new costs will be drawn from the county’s reserve funds as one-time expenditures.
“There was some leftover ARPA dollars for broadband at the time we had to make a commitment. Those dollars went into reserve and now they are coming back out. It is not new levy dollars being used here,” Kandiyohi County Commissioner Roger Imdieke said during the discussion Tuesday.
The cost to the county is matched funds. Kandiyohi County and Vibrant Broadband each will pay for 28% of the project expansion. Whitefield Township pays 9% of the costs, and the state Broadband Line Extension Connection Program will pay 35%.
The original project cost a total of $210,000. The project expansion will cost an additional $312,532.26. Together, the total project is now $522,532.26.