Earlier this week, officials within Pennyrile Rural Electric, Hopkinsville Electric Systems and energynet relayed the fortuitous news of more than $80 million in state funding headed to 35 counties seeking improved fiber and broadband internet opportunities.
Seven of those grants were doled to the PRECC/HES/energynet co-op, in what comes to nearly $14 million needed for a $29 million project to reach the under-served in Christian, Trigg, Todd, Caldwell and Lyon counties.
During Tuesday’s Trigg County Fiscal Court meeting, Judge-Executive Hollis Alexander parlayed off of these announcements, in order to give an update on where Cadiz and its surrounding areas fit on the provision timeline.
To date, Alexander reminded his magistrates that Trigg County has contributed $2 million to this specific project.
The good news: of the $14 million bound this direction, more than $1.9 million is headed to Trigg County — with a match coming from PRECC.
In a conversation this week with PRECC President and CEO Alan Gates, Alexander said a northeastern portion of the county bordering Caldwell and Christian will be finished out by November 2022, and the entire southeastern part of the county will likely be finished out no later than January 2023.
Alexander added he and many officials believe more funds are going to be appropriated to a number of projects across the Commonwealth, and that those allocations are going to paint a more complete picture of the timeline and skeleton of the project.
Though Trigg County plays but a small part in this broadband infrastructure and its success, Alexander said he was thankful to see this layout start to find legs. He said it was five years ago, or thereabouts, when this conversation of internet expansion first came to the region’s radar.
In other fiscal court news:
— In what’s been deemed a complete success, Magistrate Mike Wright received a round of applause for the “Hometown Heroes” veteran banners found across town. Wright turned this praise to the officials for the City of Cadiz and Pennyrile Electric for bringing the vision to fruition, and relayed that another round of banner orders can be placed on July 11 at Cadiz City Hall.
With more than 120 banners, the demand only continues to grow. Along with local media outlets, News Channel 5 out of Nashville made a recent stop in town to showcase the project.
— Magistrates unanimously approved an earthquake insurance renewal quote from Peel & Holland of Benton, totaling $37,500 for the next fiscal year. Alexander noted that nearly $22,000 of that price will eventually be returned by the Administrative Office of the Courts for the Judicial Center, but that this same insurance premium 10 years ago was nearly half the cost. Trigg County’s close proximity with the New Madrid fault-line, coupled with rising costs across all sectors, could be the key.
This plan brings with it a $25,000 deductible and a $15 million limit. Another plan, sitting with a $5 million limit, was declined by the table.
— Magistrates also unanimously approved its annual contract for service with the Christian County Animal Shelter, which has long taken in Trigg County’s cats, dogs and other species at a rapid rate. It’s up from $9,000 last year, to $12,500 this year, and Alexander again described that costs in housing, proper bedding, food and other animal needs have escalated quickly in the last 12 months.
This payment requires Christian County to lawfully accept all animals impounded by the Dog Warden.
— As part of its June ledger, $1,000 county contributions were delivered to all of the county’s fire department stations. A $2,000 contribution was doled out to the ever-popular and uplifting Camp Cadiz. Another $2,500 was supplied to Helping Hands of Trigg County. And a $1,500 contribution to the Friends of Lake Barkley State Resort Park accounts for roughly 10% of the budget necessary to put on the July 4 fireworks display.
