Greenville on board with countywide broadband initiative

Staff Report

GREENVILLE — The Greenville Board of Selectmen passed a motion supporting a countywide approach being conducted by the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council (PCEDC) for a proposed broadband Internet feasibility study, during a meeting on Feb. 3.

The initiative is a local point of the PCEDC’s economic development efforts, with planning grants available through the Northern Regional Border Commission and the U.S. Economic Development Administration to examine the scope of broadband needs and then later to help make the necessary improvements.

PCEDC Executive Director Chris Winstead has been speaking with various select boards across the region, with Dover-Foxcroft and Milo officials among those previously supporting the broadband initiative. Plans will be tailored to each participant as the various communities have different needs for improving connections to the World Wide Web.

After all of the sessions across the region, Winstead will meet again with the Piscataquis County Commissioners to see if the county will formally apply for the broadband Internet feasibility study.

In other business, Town Manager John Simko, Code Enforcement Officer Jack Hart and Public Works Foreman Mark Bernier recently met with members of the Moosehead Region Branding Initiative leadership team’s downtown planning subcommittee. This group has a desire to come up with an effective plan for revitalizing the infrastructure and creating opportunities for business assistance in the downtown area. A planning process is necessary before infrastructure funds can be sought.

The selectmen agreed to support Simko’s plan to work with members of the brand leadership team and CES, Inc. and the Musson Group to design and schedule a public meeting to seek ideas for how best to improve downtown Greenville, and to seek a proposal from these firms for how to move forward with these ideas into a downtown revitalization plan.

The second meeting of the selectmen is normally held on the third Wednesday of the month, but to avoid a conflict with the school’s February vacation the board will meet next on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m.