Broadband Committee

Town of Halifax, Vermont

REGULAR MEETING MINUTES- DRAFT

March 19, 2014

Call to Order

This meeting was re-scheduled from last week due to severe weather. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm at the town office.  Board members in attendance were Earl Holtz, Jessica Bruno, Gretchen Becker, and Curtis Carroll.

Approval of Minutes

Holtz made a motion to accept the minutes of the January 8, 2014 Regular Meeting as written. Carroll seconded the motion, which passed 4-0-0.

Bruno made a motion to accept the minutes of February 12, 2014 Regular Meeting as written. Holtz seconded the motion which passed 2-0-2 (Becker and Carroll abstained).

Other Business

Project Updates

Holtz reported that representatives from the VTA looked at the town garage site for the Rte 112 resiliency project (cell phone service and Wi-Fi hotspot). The school directors voiced their apprehension of having people on school grounds so the school/town parking lot was not considered available for the project base. It was estimated to cost $20/mo for the hotspot, but this cost could be offset by the solar array which will be installed as part of the back-up system. They expect the project should occur before the end of 2014. Currently the project is for G2 compliance, but it may be G4 compliant by the time it’s installed.  Sprint and T-Mobile are the providers currently working as part of this contract.

Holtz reported that he has a petition of approx 50 names in support of the VTel monopole. As the application has not been submitted yet, he is holding the petition.

Committee Updates

The group had a discussion about the future of the Broadband Committee including economic development projects. The group discussed the possibility of having a hotspot in a location such as the grange or community center. There was a discussion about how a building could be used for the hotspot and potential renting of space by business owners in need of high speed service. Holtz reported that due to his appointment as vice-chairman of the Selectboard as well as clerk of the works on a bridge project, he may step down from the broadband committee. He noted that Edee Edwards may be interested in re-joining the committee. The group discussed the need for more members as Carroll will also be leaving the committee due to increased work commitments.

Hearing of Visitors

None

Adjournment

Meeting was closed at 7:23 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Jessica Bruno