The project involving the installation of fiber to the Town of Culver was discussed during the most recent meeting of the Culver Town Council.
Town Manager Ginny Bess Munroe asked the council to hold off on approving a contract with Surf Internet as there will be some amendments to the contract.
Similar broadband projects occurred in Bourbon and Plymouth and Munroe said she has been with those officials to discuss the permitting and installation phases of the project, including some of the issues that arise when boring ground is involved.
Munroe stated, “Sometimes you hit utility lines. Sometimes you hit something else. One of the issues that came up in Plymouth is when you do hit one of those lines sometimes it’s the homeowners who discover that because they get a backed up toilet, backed up sewage line or a water leak of some sort which threw up a big red flag for Bob [Porter, Utility Superintendent] and me because at this time of the year a lot of our homeowners are not home.”
Munroe noted many homeowners simply have summer homes in Culver and are in other areas of the country in the fall and winter months so they would not notice any problems until they return in the spring. Munroe said she communicated those issues with Surf Internet CEO Gene Crusie and he agreed that it would be best to wait until the spring of 2023 to do the installation process.
However, since officials from the Culver Community School Corporation would like to connect to fiber a little sooner than May, Munroe commented that that work could start earlier, and possibly with some downtown merchants, but a formal schedule has not been determined.
Munroe previously reported that Surf Internet will be investing nearly $800,000 toward this project while the Culver Redevelopment Commission has approved about $531,000 toward the project.
