By Victoria Fowler
Gazette Reporter 

Design work underway for Port fiber-to-home project

 

January 23, 2020



Port commissioners received an update regarding the fiber-to-the-home project at their meeting Jan. 16.

In August 2019, the port received $1 million from Whitman County’s .09 funds to design and construct a fiber-to-the-home network in five rural towns in Whitman County. The first town in this project is Rosalia.

“Rosalia's design has been turned in to Avista, and we got feedback from them and the design is being revised,” said Kara Riebold, chief operating officer.

Along with designs, Riebold mentioned that some connections will need to go on Frontier Communications poles in some of the towns under this project.

“I've worked with the Frontier attorney, and we have a pole attachment agreement that has been reviewed and signed, and now they are executing it on their side,” Riebold said.

Frontier Communications is based in Connecticut and services 29 states.

The next town in line for fiber-to-the-home is Palouse. The design for Palouse is still in progress, but almost completed and ready to submit to Avista.

When the port was awarded the .09 funds, it was stated in a press release that the project will also bolster an existing transmitter network with mid-mile fiber extensions to three transmitter sites

Riebold said some fiber extensions will be done out at a few tower sites and there is currently a request for design proposals on these extensions.

“The date to start receiving the proposals is Jan. 23 and we will go over those and by the next meeting, hopefully have a recommendation on who to move forward with on the designs for those extensions,” Riebold said.

The estimated total cost for the fiber-to-the-home project, for all five rural communities, is $4 million. The Port committed $1 million from the .09 grant, along with a $1 million match for the grant, $1 million of which is a loan from CERB and the additional $1 million is a grant from CERB.

Last November, the port received a bid for the materials and procurement for the fiber-to-home project in Rosalia. The bid was received from Graybar Electric for $132,580. Graybar Electric is based in Clayton, Mo.

The estimated timeline for this project is to have the designs completed by the end of April, ready to go out to bid, then have construction run from June through August. The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.

 

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