CENTERBURG — Pending permit approval, village residents could see fiber optic internet by the end of the year.
Campus Communications Group has applied for permits from the village to install underground fiber optic conduit in village right-of-ways.
“Once we get the permits, we can get started within 60 days,” CCC representative Scott Lanham said at Tuesday night’s village council meeting.
Lanham said it would take about three months to install lines in the village. The first step is installing the main lines along the right-of-ways. The next step is installing lines to each home.
There is no installation fee to the homeowner. Homeowners will pay $69.99 a month if they choose to use the fiber optic internet service (called Gigabit).
There is no contract if a homeowner registers for the internet service.
Regarding damage to utility lines during installation, Lanham said, “We are bonded. We would repair any utility we hit.”
Additionally, if the village wants village personnel to oversee the work, Lanham said CCC will “pay for that resource.”
Lanham resides in Centerburg and is the former owner of Izone Broadband. He said CCC acquired Izone for its customer base of around 300.
CCC has leased a building behind the bus barn on Dally Street. All of the main lines will run to that building, which will have a backup generator.
CCC has agreed to provide free internet to the field house.
Village Administrator Teri Wise said she will review the permit application with legal counsel. She expects to have the permit application package ready within a few weeks.
Residents will be notified when work starts. Centerburg resident Dave Watts will help oversee the installations.
Parking on South Hartford
Council members were evenly split on an ordinance eliminating parking on the west side of South Hartford Avenue between Church Street south to the end of the existing curb.
Mayor Greg Sands broke the 3-3 tie, voting in favor of the measure.
The final language eliminates parking on that stretch of road “unless a permit is obtained pursuant to an application process established by the village administrator.”
Residents Don Wallace and Debbie Canipe again spoke against the ordinance.
Related reading
Wallace referenced a recent incident where a township vehicle hit a utility pole. He attributed the accident to increased speed because there were no cars parked on the side.
“Maybe if there were cars parked there, he might have been a little bit slower,” Wallace said. “If it had hit a child, it would have been a fatality.”
Canipe said she has yet to get a legitimate reason why no parking is a good idea other than the street is too narrow.
“If it’s not safe now, it’s not safe on the day I get a permit,” she said.
Legislative action
Related to parking, council members gave a first reading to an ordinance amending city code Section 351.15 to state that “no person shall park a vehicle on any street, highway, or in any parking lot owned by the Village of Centerburg for more than 24 hours.”
In other legislative action, council members:
•Tabled until Nov. 6 an ordinance acquiring health insurance for village employees
•Adopted on third reading legislation setting up a sidewalk program and appropriating $20,000 a year to fund the program
•Waived the three readings and passed a resolution accepting the amounts generated from and rates of village levies
•Gave first reading to legislation authorizing an agreement with the City of Mount Vernon law director for prosecutorial services and increasing compensation to the mayor and council members
Council also set Trick-or-Treat for Oct. 31 from 5:30-7 p.m.
Reports
•Village Administrator. VA Wise said the Jerry Street bridge inspection is complete. A report is forthcoming.
OPWC (Ohio Public Works Commission) has approved funding for South Hartford Phase 3. The engineering firm Kleinfelder did the original bid estimate. Because of a dispute with Kleinfelder over what the village is being charged, OPWC gave permission to change engineering firms.
The 2024 street improvement estimates came in at over $75,000. Wise felt that was too high and will wait and bid the OPWC and street projects together.
Wise submitted two projects to CORPO (Central Ohio Rural Planning Organization: 1) the Main Street traffic improvements and 2) a bike path to connect the Heart of Ohio Trail to the downtown area. She will review the projects with CORPO at the end of September.
•COJFD. Chief Mark McCann of the Central Ohio Joint Fire District reported the 2022 annual report is complete. The department is hiring for a house captain/EMS coordinator. Interviews are slated for Sept. 12 and 13.
COJFD received a $6,800 training grant through Ohio Means Jobs. It also helped acquire an AED (automatic external defibrillator) for Centerburg Senior Services.
The department has completed inspections of numerous businesses and public facilities. It has completed the first fire drills in the schools and slated Oct. 7 for its open house from 11:30-1:30.
