Thank you to all who braved the cold weather to attend the public meeting last night. We had 40 people present, and everyone was able to ask questions and voice their opinions.
While most people who attended were eager for Litchfield Township to bring in the high-speed fiber network, some people questioned using the ARPA grant money to help fund the project; they believe the money should be used for other township projects instead.
While their opinions are valid, the issue is that there are strict federal guidelines on how the ARPA grant money can only be used.
According to the Ohio Township Association’s website, the US Department of the Treasury has listed 5 areas where the ARPA funds can be used. One is “To make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.” Click here to go to the website.
Also during last night’s meeting, Medina County Commissioner Steve Hambley and Medina County Fiber Network CEO Dave Corrado answered questions and explained where we are in the process.
Basically, 2 pieces of the puzzle still need to be completed:
The attorneys for Medina County and Medina County Fiber must finish clarifying the regulations for the use of this grant money.
LMRE is 90% on board; we’re still waiting to hear confirmation from them.
When these steps are completed, then the Litchfield Trustees will vote on spending $137,522 of the $358,000 grant we were awarded. I stand behind this decision and am committed to bringing a high-speed fiber network to Litchfield Township.
People are asking why this process takes so long. The answer is simple: we are working with federal grant money and have to follow their guidelines to the letter. If we do not, we will have to pay all of the grant money back. So, we are making sure to do everything right the first time.
Stay tuned for more updates as they become available. As soon as we get the go-ahead from the attorneys at the Medina County prosecutor’s office and the Medina County Port Authority, we will move into the construction phase.
Questions? Give Trustee Dennis Horvath a call at (330) 591-5397.