August 11, 2010

The Broadband Committee, Town of Halifax, on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 6:30 pm met at the Halifax Town Office to carpool to a meeting in Brattleboro.

Present were committee members Edee Edwards, Earl Holtz, Greg Marguet, Curtis Carroll, and Gretchen Becker and members of the public Marilou and Douglas Parkhurst, Margo Avakian, and Donald Smith.

The meeting in Brattleboro was hosted at their Town Office, and included guest speakers Chris Campbell from the Vermont Telecommunications Authority and Paul Costello from the Vermont Council on Rural Development.

Chris Campbell and Paul Costello led discussions of cell service and recently announced broadband grants.

Three follow up activities for what communities could do were suggested:

1.      Local community advocates identify potential sites

2.      Look at local regulations for cell towers

3.      Get Selectboard, Planning Board, etc onboard and offering supporting letters to have ready for grants / opportunities.

Meeting participants Q&A’s included a discussion of regional support and coordination of efforts across different grants.

No action was taken or decisions made.

Respectfully submitted,

Edee Edwards