Improving internet access for residents and businesses owners in Culver is a project that town officials are looking into.
The Culver Redevelopment Commission recently met with representatives from Marshall County Fiber LLC about the possibility of installing fiber optic cable to improve access to the internet in the area.
At the last town council meeting, CRC member Rich West shared that the Redevelopment Commission has been working on finding a good fit for Culver for several years and noted that it is an issue that needs to be addressed.
“We do think it’s a very important service for the town to have fiber services here, to provide good reliable internet service.” West went on, “We think it’s important for businesses here, it’s important for the quality of life for residents here and it’s important to help attract new businesses to the community.”
Tom Yuhas with the CRC added that they have been conducting surveys to assess community needs and they found that residents and business owners see a need for a better internet connection.
He said when the Marshall County Fiber reps were at the Redevelopment Commission meeting, he provided them with about 80 responses from a recent survey to show that there would be a customer base in town.
“Some were businesses, a lot were just private people who said ‘I work from home’ or ‘The kids come and my internet sucks’, that sort of thing.” Yuhas explained, “I think they were impressed when I said I’ve already done my own mini survey for you here.”
Council President Ginny Bess Munroe noted that the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation conducted similar surveys with the CBEAR (Culver Business Expansion and Retention) program and they also found that small business owners indicated a similar need for better internet access.
Munroe added that as a Stellar Community, Culver was included in a recent initiative that could potentially provide them with some additional funds for an economic development project. She said that improving the town’s internet capabilities was one of the first things that came to mind. She mentioned that the surveys the CRC and MCEDC have already conducted will be very helpful in communicating the need for such a project.
She said that the Redevelopment Commission will be kept in the loop as the process of applying for and obtaining those funds continues.
