LEYDEN — Residents are likely to have visitors in their driveways in the next month, a sign that the town’s broadband project is moving into the design and engineering stage.
According to Broadband Committee Chairman Bob Ryan, the town signed an agreement with Westfield Gas & Electric in June. The company will be the town’s project manager, receiving $75,000 for the design and engineering phase and $160,000 over the course of its contract.
With guidance from Westfield Gas & Electric, Ryan said Leyden hired Precision Valley Communications (PVC) out of Springfield, Vt. to do the design and engineering work. He believes the company started visiting homes Thursday, driving vehicles labeled with the words “Whip City Fiber,” a division of Westfield Gas & Electric.
“We need to know the distance of the driveways,” Ryan said of PVC’s work. “We also need to know if the home is being approached aerially or underground.”
Through the work, Ryan said the town will gain an understanding of how much fiber optic cable is necessary, as well as the labor wiring would require.
Ryan said PVC will continue its measuring work through mid-September, after which the firm will assist Leyden in submitting pole applications to Eversource and Verizon.
Following Massachusetts Broadband Institute’s state-funded pole survey of the town’s 917 poles, it appeared Leyden might need to spend as much as $750,000 more than was originally anticipated to replace a high number of deficient poles. Ryan said more concrete figures haven’t emerged yet.
Leyden’s total broadband network is expected to cost $1,750,000, not including unanticipated pole replacement costs. Of the $1,750,000, the Last Mile Infrastructure Grant Program is providing $680,000 and Leyden will pay $1,070,000, Ryan said.
Ryan noted termination rights are built into the town’s contract with Westfield Gas & Electric, giving the town the right to stop the project if costs come in at more than $1,750,000, or if the state discontinues its grant funding for any reason. Leyden received the first $310,000 installment of its grant in June.
Moving forward, Ryan said pole applications should be complete by the end of September, the design and engineering phase will be done by Oct. 27, and construction bid packages will be complete by Dec. 27. Ryan said the broadband network is expected to be finished by fall 2018.
Ryan encourages all residents to allow PVC employees to access their properties for measuring during the design and engineering stage.
“Real estate value goes up on houses with broadband capability, even if they don’t subscribe,” he explained. “They’re going to help themselves financially, and it’s going to be a lot cheaper to do it now than to have the trucks come back … It’s not going to cost them anything for (PVC) to measure the driveways.”
However, residents who don’t want PVC employees on their property are encouraged to contact Ryan by email at rryan99@verizon.net or by phone at 413-624-0225.