Internet service in rural Bartholomew County got a big boost recently with the announcement that the county will get its largest distribution to date from the Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program.
Round three grant funding could total nearly $6 million to entice internet service providers to connect hundreds of rural homes and businesses in the county to gig-speed broadband. That’s on top of earlier rounds of funding, including a $4 million grant via the American Rescue Plan, as the county moves to connect underserved areas to high-speed internet service.
Bartholomew and neighboring counties are served by a host of providers, each of which is under no obligation to accept the grant money, because it requires the providers to put up matching funds. But the program is a good example of how public-private partnerships can achieve goals that neither the public nor private sector could accomplish alone.
It’s easy to forget that the internet would not exist had the federal government not funded its establishment and created the framework for the proliferation of instantaneous global communication that we now take for granted. Given license and incentives, the private sector took that framework, built a new economy and changed the world.
Now, even southwestern Bartholomew County may soon have fast internet service that residents have long lobbied for. Web access today is indispensable. It’s encouraging to see more rural areas being served, thanks to efforts involving local, state, federal and private partnerships.
Next step on NexusPark: Use Force
Force Construction this week got the job on one of the highest-profile public works in Columbus — redevelopment of the former FairOaks Mall into the NexusPark athletic, health and community center joint venture between the city of Columbus and Columbus Regional Health.
The company submitted the lower of two bids to serve as contractor on the project, which includes construction of a fieldhouse, some demolition, site preparation and other work. Force’s bid of $26.5 million was almost $1 million lower than a competing bid, and the total could go lower after negotiations with the city.
A significant community project awarded to a local company that’s been building in Columbus and the surrounding region for generations means more of those dollars will recirculate in the community. That’s a welcome outcome in the early phases of a transformational project.
Columbus robotics students go global
Students from Columbus East and Columbus North high schools described participating in an international robotics competition as an exciting and fun experience that one student said he would never forget. More than 450 teams from as far away as Israel competed.
Columbus’ “GalacTech” Team 4926 competed in Houston earlier this month — allied with teams of other teen techs from Michigan, Texas, and Alberta, Canada. The combined team went 6-4 to advance to the division playoffs but fell short of the final tournament in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Championship, finishing 30th in a 75-team field.
As an enriching educational experience goes, it’s hard to top one that gathers together teams of kids from around the world to think through a problem and come up with hands-on solutions. Hats off to the GalacTech team, which earlier this month also claimed the FIRST state championship.
Stop the press — something costs less!
We suspect some folks might have looked twice and wondered if they read a recent headline in The Republic correctly. It read, “Council approves reduced water rates.” That was no typo — we had the rare experience of reporting that something went down in price.
Not that many will notice, because Columbus’ revised water rates tentatively approved earlier this month will save the average ratepayer about 20 cents per month, or $2.40 a year.
Given inflation on everything else, that may be enough to buy a bottle of pop to celebrate.
