A “huge milestone” is being reached on the Board of Public Utilities’ Fiber project, as BPU General Manager Kris Sellstrom has reported to the BPU during their June meeting that the make ready work for the project was set to be completed during the week of the meeting, the last full week of June.

Sellstrom gave the BPU board an update on where the fiber project stands, including thanking the supervisors and line workers for all the work they have done to get the make ready work finished.

“They installed over 600 new poles in just under 17 months, which is really impressive,” Sellstrom said.

This is also on top of all of the other work needing to be done with the project, such as working to install transformers and move secondary wire, Sellstrom added. He noted that across the state the make ready work is often the thing that stalls these types of projects, so the BPU is in a good position thanks to the work of the team.

Plans to install underground cable are also underway, with a focus to minimize disruption in the downtown area.

“I think in some of the earlier plans we had a lot of underground work, disruption of the roads, digging,” Sellstrom said. “We’ve eliminated about 85% of the underground digging by using our existing facilities.”

Those plans are being finalized, and Sellstrom said once they are copies will be sent to the city and Department of Public Works. He noted that any time the BPU has third party contractors coming in to do work that requires going underground and uncovering manholes that they like to have a team there anyway, so having some of the work done internally made sense. A third party contractor will be used in the areas where digging is required.

The fiber contracting teams have installed over 1300 service drops in the city so far. 1500 drops are planned, so Sellstrom said those are wrapping up quickly. 25 opt-outs have been received so far, and Sellstrom said the BPU is continuing to work to make sure customers know the service drops do not cost them anything or commit them to take on the new internet service. If customers do choose to opt-out of a service drop and then decide they want it later there is more of a cost and more time, as the BPU would have to return to add in that service drop.

Sellstrom added they have been told some people missed the door tags on their houses, so along with online updates on Facebook and the website, notices in the BPU newsletter, and the public meetings that have been held, the BPU will also be doing mail-ins about the project.

“In addition to all of those we’re now going to do a mail-in to every customer who hasn’t had a drop yet, just one more try to push to let them know what’s happening,” Sellstrom said. “So, hopefully that gets the word out, but we’ll see.”

Sellstrom asked if any BPU board member had other ideas to help get the word out to let him know, as that has been a challenge.