• • Lakefield Standard

Less than three months after allocating $1 per resident toward an effort to install a citywide fiber optics communication network, the Jackson City Council this week authorized another $2.50 per resident to the same cause.
The Tuesday allocation brings to around $13,500 the total amount of money the city has sunk into the beginning stages of a multi-city, cross-county effort to secure federal stimulus dollars with which to install a fiber optics network.
Mayor Mitch Jasper, a proponent of the effort, said the additional request is the result of “difficult rules” recently handed down by the federal government with regard to this portion of stimulus funding.
“It is difficult to understand why there are so many rules unto this stimulus plan,” he said. “I still believe we should move forward.”
The additional allocation was approved on a 4-1 vote with council member Ed Willett maintaining his opposition to the effort. In May, Willett sided with the city utilities commission’s recommendation to halt consideration of a proposal to explore such a fiber optic system. At the time, commissioners had speculated such a fiber optic system upgrade could cost Jackson more than $4 million. In May, Willett also expressed concern with costs associated with keeping up with ever-changing technology and administering the network.
On Tuesday, however, Jasper commended those who voted to authorize the additional funds, which he said would be used to get the funding application “through the first round.”
“The first round is to make sure the application is correct,” he said. “The second round is when they decide if the project is valuable enough to fund.”
Jasper said he is confident the project the city is involved with is.
“Our lawmakers and representatives are all aware of this project, and are very positive about it,” he said. “Of all they’ve seen, this project is the best because it works with so many communities.”
Jasper has been meeting with representatives of the cities of Lakefield, Heron Lake, Okabena and Windom with regard to a fiber system that would be capable of delivering television, telephone and Internet to each home and business in Jackson. Word on the street, he said, is that recent federal stimulus legislation has dumped gobs of money into the laps of the National Telecommunications Information Agency, money that will be distributed to worthy applicants.
Jasper and group representatives intend to have their name on the top of the list.
“I truly believe this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” he said.
In other action, the council again tabled authorization of an engineering agreement for land and airspace zoning that would pave the way for a new runway at the municipal airport north of town. Council member and city airport commission liaison Fred Bern proposed a committee made up of council members, airport commission members and representatives of local economic development entities meet with area landowners who would be affected by the proposal prior to moving forward.
“We want to meet with landowners directly affected prior to public meetings,” he said. “We felt it was better to do it that way.”
Bern said he hopes the committee can have this accomplished by the next council meeting.
“We hope to get it done within two weeks,” he said. “If we can’t, we can table it again, but I think we need to get going on it.”
Responding to concerns from some landowners gathered at Tuesday’s meeting that they would be left out of such discussions, Jasper assured them, “Everybody will be included.”
Council representatives on the committee are Bern and Willett.