Town breaks ground on Dryden Fiber Project

Town of Dryden officials recently broke ground on the Dryden Fiber Project through a ceremony near Hallwoods Road.

The Dryden Fiber Project, according to Town Supervisor Jason Leifer, is a municipally owned fiber-to-the-home internet service. The goal of the project, Leifer added, is to offer faster broadband internet speeds at lower costs, which as of now is projected to be $15 per month.

“It addresses the one issue people have [always] had in the town, which is reliable internet service [or no service at all],” said Leifer, who was immediately aware of the situation when he joined the Town Board in 2008.

Town residents have dealt with “spotty connection” from radio broadband and DSL, or “no service at all,” Leifer noted.

“People weren’t thrilled [with their internet service],” he added. “We want to provide a community with the modern system you could have.”

According to a news release recently sent out by Leifer, the project as a whole is anticipated to be completed in three to five years. It will be “self-sustaining once completed,” the release states. The project is estimated to cost roughly $14.53 million, said town Deputy Supervisor Dan Lamb back in February (tinyurl.com/y5ujl8du).

The town is funding the project through a COVID-19 relief package from the federal government and a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Leifer said the town is still applying for grants from the federal government, especially ones that focus on rural areas across the country.

“We’re hoping there’s money available out there to support this project,” he added.

The project will soon move on to the pilot program slated for commercial business workers on Hallwoods Road and nearby, along with residents on Pinckney Road. If all goes well with the pilot program, Leifer said, the service would then be extended to the rest of the Dryden Municipal District.

“The pilot [program] is to make sure the system is working the way we need it to work,” Leifer said. “This pilot is the technical test for the customer service software and bandwidth. Then, we’ll go from there.”

Testing for the pilot program is expected to take two months but could take longer, said HUNT Engineers, which is assisting the town with the project. The program could last until the end of June or the beginning of July, Leifer said.

Starting this week, town officials will begin to market the Dryden Fiber Project to the residents near the location of the pilot program, and residents will “be offered the opportunity to join,” Leifer said.

“The people under the pilot will be able to keep their current connection so they can compare the two,” he added.

Leifer noted the town is currently building fiber out toward the hamlet of Varna and the villages of Freeville and Dryden. As the “backbone gets built out,” he added, the phase construction process of the project will commence.

The town is currently finalizing an easement with the village of Dryden to use the village’s “rights of way” for fiber broadband connection. An easement was not required with the village of Freeville, Leifer said.

“[Every village] is excited and looking forward to the project,” he added.

Dryden Dispatch appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.

In brief:

Changes, additions made to Freeville’s boards

The Village of Freeville recently made some changes and additions to its community boards, according to an email from Village Mayor David Fogel.

Stephanie Ortolano was appointed to the village’s Board of Trustees last month. She will serve out the remainder of the late Jim Krebs’ term. Krebs passed away in February.

Ortolano, now a former planning board member, was replaced by Ryan Maher. Maher is also the current president of the Freeville Community Council.

Longtime village resident Anu Rangaragan has joined the Zoning Board of Appeals. She replaced Annette Spearman, who stepped down after a handful of years with the ZBA.

Village of Dryden sets dates for services

The Village of Dryden recently set dates for a variety of service pick-ups in the coming months.

Curbside brush pick-up is scheduled for June 6, Sept. 6 and Oct. 3. The village wants to remind residents that brush must be no longer than 4 feet in length and tied for handling. The date for brush pickup in May, which was May 2, has already passed.

The village will pick up curbside appliances on June 6. This includes stoves, washers, dryers and hot water tanks. Refrigerators are not included.

Pick-up for curbside rugs and stuffed furniture is slated for Oct. 3.

The village noted that mulch is available for village residents at the Department of Public Works at 64 South St.

For more information, contact the village office at (607) 844-8122. The village office is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.