County Board backs Mosaic for fiber-optic grant

Mosaic proposes to bring fiber-optic cable to about 100 square miles of Barron County (see map), making the service available to more than 1,250 subscribers. The deadline to apply is Feb. 22.

The resolution notes Mosaic “has been in business for more than 100 years,” and that its fiber-optic upgrade “is critical to business expansion and educational assistance.”

In a presentation shown to the County Board Executive Committee Jan. 5, Mosaic Technologies notes that the cost of “fiber to the premises,” while higher than other kinds of broadband service, “provides the highest performance ... over the life of the network.”

Mosaic cites data from the Fiber Broadband Association and Technology Committee showing that costs run between $8 and $25 per foot for aerial fiber and $12 to $50 per foot for buried fiber.

Citing a study from 2018, Mosaic notes “that having very high-speed broadband rates highly” in a family’s decisions about buying homes and relocating to other communities.

Jenifer Mason, Mosaic vice president of marketing and sales, said Jan. 18 that her company is still determining proposed costs and funding needs.

“We are hopeful that all the pieces will fall into place for the Feb. 22 submittal,” she said. “Because we are in the middle of the design phase, we do not have projected costs at this time.”

In other business during its regular monthly meeting Jan. 17, the Board of Supervisors:

• Listened to a presentation by Dr. John Will, president of Northwood Technical College. Will noted that 95 percent of Northwood’s 2021 grads found work in less than six months at an average yearly wage of $43,000.

Top pay went to Northwood’s nursing and truck-driving grads. Statistics show that after five years, graduates experience an average 48 percent wage increase.

• Got an update on county Highway Department construction from CBS Squared representatives Chad Oster and Zach Estrene. Both noted that there are still issues with the supply chain. For example, the new wash bay building now has overhead doors, but no automatic door openers at present.

Answering a question from County Board Chair Louie Okey, Estrene said he didn’t know of any change orders or cost overruns.

The CBS Squared representatives noted that a large overhead crane is now being deployed on the Highway Department property in preparation for construction of the new 160,000 square-foot garage.

• Noted that the board’s monthly meetings for February and March will take place in in Room 110 of the County Government Center because Veterans’ Auditorium is in the process of being renovated. The April meeting is tentatively set for Mosaic Technologies in Cameron, because it is a reorganizational meeting that follows the Spring 2022 election, and supervisors will be asked to attend in person.