Survey says ... Red Oak citizens wants fiber

The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors heard an update on county happenings from Montgomery County Development Corporation director Shawnna Silvius at its regular meeting on Nov. 26.

Silvius said there are several projects ongoing in Stanton, and the community recently was the site of a pop-up mall over a weekend that utilized the town’s lumberyard. Also outside of Red Oak, Silvius is working on a development project utilizing the county’s rail lines, though two sites, one in Stanton, and the other in Villisca, were unsuitable. However, Silvius said efforts are ongoing.

“We’re working with a company that would be utilizing the rail, as well as former county engineer Charles Bechtel, and United Farmers Cooperative. We’re looking at a property north of Red Oak that would include the rail as well. UFC is supportive. We’re going to continue to work it. It all depends on if it’s the most feasible location for the project, and would be a roughly $3 million project for us,” Silvius said.

Other projects include an extension of the trail from Stanton to Viking Lake, and finishing the trail itself, as well as looking into a Safe Routes to School grant to work on the sidewalks.

In Red Oak, Silvius said she is working with Bechtel on a grant for renovations at the intersection of the industrial park.

“He feels very confident that we can get the funding depending on how soon we can get the grant,” Silvius said.

Silvius has also been having conversations on a couple of properties in Red Oak that could potentially be utilized for redevelopment projects. Work also continues on the middle school project to renovate into affordable housing.

Silvius was joined by fiber committee members Joey Norris and Andrew Nostvick at the supervisors meeting, and details were shared on the results of the recent fiber study.

“The results of the survey and our own extracurricular investigations show that it’s fairly certain that Farmer’s Mutual Telephone Company in Stanton is going to be our only option to go forward. There’s also potential to use the New Market Tax structure to gain the funding FMTC would need to finance the project, and further discussions between the supervisors and the City of Red Oak will likely take place after Thanksgiving.”

Supervisors Chairman Mike Olson asked if the numbers were correct that roughly 70 percent of the survey participants were willing to change service if they had broadband. Norris said it was accurate.

“People who responded with sevens, eights, and nines, meaning they were the most likely to switch, was at 79 percent, and that does not include the people who might switch, which responded with a five or a six,” Norris said.

Norris said he has been talking with Congresswoman Cindy Axne, who is trying to get the FCC to change what they consider served at high speed internet.

“She’s trying to work with the FCC to reset a standard that makes it 100/100 symmetrical, and really the only way to do that is with fiber,” commented Norris.

Norris said he will have a more detailed report available for the supervisors to review at a later date.