City Board Accepts Broadband Grant, to Begin Work
Lexington Electric System Manager Jeff Graves reviews the broadband grant with the Lexington City Board of Mayor and Alderman.
Photo by: Steve Corlew / The Lexington Progress
Article by Steve Corlew-
The Lexington City Board voted to accept the $27.49 million grant for broadband service, September 15, 2022, setting in motion the process to bring high speed internet to the Lexington Electric System’s service area.
“It is a big deal. It is a really really big deal,” Mayor Jeff Griggs told the board prior to the vote.
LES will be making broadband service available to anyone who currently has a Lexington Electric System meter.
The grant is the second largest awarded. Tennessee awarded a total of $447 million in infrastructure investment with the grant on September 12, 2022.
“It is an exciting time to be on this board,” Mayor Griggs said. “What an exciting time to be on the board and to make a decision that is going to make an impact on the people of not only our community, but also the communities that surround us,” Griggs added.
The grant will not cover the entire cost of the project. The total cost of the broadband project is expected to be between $50 and $55 million according to LES manager Jeff Graves.
“One of the unknowns, is how much we are going to need to borrow,” LES manager Graves said.
The system has 36 months to complete the project. Graves hopes to have contractors working very quickly. LES will contract with several companies to construct the system. “One of the first things we need to do is hire a broadband director. That person is going to run the broadband division,” Graves told the board members.
The board will discuss updates on the broadband project at…
For complete coverage, see the September 21st edition of The Lexington Progress.
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