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GREENWOOD TWP- On a 3-2 vote, the town board here, at their July 9 meeting, approved a $1,000 donation to the Blandin Broadband Committee, to help fund a broadband feasibility study for the region. …
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GREENWOOD TWP- On a 3-2 vote, the town board here, at their July 9 meeting, approved a $1,000 donation to the Blandin Broadband Committee, to help fund a broadband feasibility study for the region.
“This is the infancy of a utility,” said Supervisor Mike Ralston, who put the motion on the floor. He found support from fellow supervisers Larry Tahija and Byron Beihoffer, while Carmen DeLuca and Paul Skubic voted against.
The board had earlier let a motion by Ralston to submit a grant proposal for $5,000 for a community computer access station die for lack of a second.
The broadband study will look at the feasibility of bringing different types of broadband access to the area. Once the study is completed, the group will look for internet service companies interested in servicing the area. They can then apply for state and federal grants to help offset the cost of installing the services in individual homes and businesses.
“Federal grants will fund so much of the cost of installing the infrastructure,” said treasurer Pam Rodgers, who noted that fiber optic cable is already installed in many parts of the township.
“If we don’t get on board with broadband, we are really underserving our taxpayers,” said Skubic, who went on to vote against the motion. “We have the third largest tax base in St. Louis County. If we don’t bring in these fiber speeds, we are not serving our taxpayers.”
Rodgers noted that people looking to buy property now frequently inquire about the level of internet service available.
“Broadband is now considered to be basic infrastructure,” said John Bassing, a member of the broadband committee. “Just like electricity was in the days of the REA [Rural Electric Administration]. It’s a joint public/private partnership.”
Bassing noted that high-speed internet is needed for education, business, health, and public safety, not just for entertainment. He told the board that United Health recently shuttered their physical call center in International Falls, allowing their local employees to work from home.
“We need proper connectivity and high-speed internet so people in Greenwood can work at home in these kinds of jobs,” he said.
The board noted this shouldn’t be compared to the standard $100 donation the township typically awards to various groups upon request.
Bassing said the Blandin group is hoping to have broadband installations beginning in 2021. The project involves many small cities and townships in the region.
Bassing told the board that Vermilion Lake Township, with far less property value than Greenwood, had donated $500 to the study. The Tower Economic Development Authority is waiting to get information on the state of their finances before setting their donation amount.
HIPPA concerns
Rodgers said fire department members had raised concerns about paperwork that contains confidential information that has been left out in the open in the fire department office. The board discussed several options for maintaining data privacy as required by law, and Rodgers and Chief Fazio will work on finding a solution. It was noted that the fire department paperwork that comes into the clerk’s office does not contain personal information, just data on individual first responders and the hours spent on a call. The clerk and treasurer need that information to process payroll.
Other business
In other business the board: