Town of Elmore, Vermont

The general election will be held Tuesday November 3 in the town office. Polls will be open from 8:00am until 7:00pm. The warning for this election and a sample ballot are available online.

Today's update:
1. CVFiber Applied for Federal Funds for Fixed Wireless Service in 2020
2. CVFiber Aiming for 2021 Fiber to the Premises Project Start


1. CVFiber Applied for Federal Funds for Fixed Wireless Service in 2020

CVFiber has received some state COVID relief grant money that we'll be using for planning. We have also applied for special federal funds, administered by the state, to help bring faster Internet service to families with schoolchildren, people working at home, and people needing to access telehealth services. Since these funds must be appropriated and projects finished by Dec 30, 2020, CVFiber's only option is to build a fixed wireless infrastructure, that is, short-range wireless signals beamed from antennas to receivers at people's houses. Such a system typically provides download speeds between 15 and 50 Mbps. While not ideal, it would provide those most in need with service, or better service, while we design, fund, and implement a Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) solution throughout the district.  We expect to hear about our application within 4 weeks.

The good news is that there is a much greater awareness now than there was six months ago about the need for high-speed Internet service for everyone, whether they live in urban or rural areas. The system up to now has been fragmented, and construction to new areas has depended on whether expansion would be profitable for those companies with existing lines. A nonprofit model committed to connecting everyone with high-speed Internet service will work if it can provide fast speeds and great service at a reasonable price. We know this is possible because of the success of ECFiber in the Upper Valley area of northern Windsor and Orange counties. [See https://www.ecfiber.net ]

2. CVFiber Aiming for 2021 Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) Project Start

We didn't get the grant we'd hoped to receive from the Northern Border Regional Commission, but we continue to line up loans and seek out other grant sources, state and federal.

We expect the first phase of FTTH will start in 2021. Where we start hasn't been determined, but we will be looking at high-need areas where we can connect a sufficient number of people to produce a revenue stream that can then be used to sustain the operation and build more lines. We are discussing a partnership with Washington Electric Coop to service many areas of the district. They too are a nonprofit, providing service to areas that are beyond the service areas of traditional for-profit utilities. WEC is asking residents in Central Vermont towns to respond to a survey  to help their planning. Please take: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5753642/WEC-SURVEY

We need your support as we grow. And we hope you'll connect to our nonprofit, public system when our lines go up. The more customers on a road who subscribe to Internet service from CVFiber, the sooner and the more lines we'll be able to build to all areas in the twenty communities in our district.

You can find more info about CVFiber at https://cvfiber.net where you can also sign up for our newsletter.

A great piece of history from Harold J. Moore, a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s.
 

The mission of the Elmore Community Trust is to care for places that make Elmore special and to attract businsses, organizations, and residents that positively contribute to our vibrant rural community. The Elmore Community Trust (ECT) was recently founded by a group of Elmore residents working in partnership with Preservation Trust of Vermont. Using a community supported enterprise model that has proven successful, ECT's first and most pressing project is The Elmore Store. Visit the Elmore Community Trust's webpage to learn more.