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Partnership could bring Internet to the township
October 21, 2009
A partnership between Morrow village officials and a fiber optic company may allow northern Harlan Twp. residents to receive high speed Internet access for the first time.
Innovative Fiber Optic Solutions has asked to install a microwave dish on top of the village’s water tower in Roachester, the highest point in the area, that would send signals to other microwave dishes on top of other towers and into Harlan Twp.
Harlan Twp. administrator Andy Mitten and fiber optic company president Robert Olding attended Morrow’s Oct. 13 council meeting with their request for the village’s permission to use the Roachester tower.
“We’re trying to get high speed Internet service in Harlan Twp. The southern part has it, but the northern part doesn’t because (current service providers) will not cooperate. It would be a huge benefit to us,” Mitten said.
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Signals from the Roachester water tower dish would be sent to an already approved Western Water Co. water tower dish near Fischer Road and Ohio 132 in Harlan Twp., then on to a third Warren County approved tower dish in Harlan Twp.’s Whitacre Park on Ohio 123 near Blackhawk, Mitten explained.
In addition to submitting a petition with 63 resident signatures to service providers, residents Jason Walker and Corey Campbell asked Harlan Twp. trustees for help in the matter, Mitten said.
Olding said Harlan Twp. residents without access “are at their last straw.
“They have fought for years trying to get the Internet out there. We own about 250 miles of fiber optics in Butler, Warren and Montgomery counties, and right outside your door in Morrow. It’s a perfect location to broadcast the signal out,” Olding said.
In return for allowing the company to use Morrow’s water tower, the village may be provided with fiber optic access to the Internet, Olding said. Village council will vote on the request at its next meeting.
Article by: By Linda Scott, Contributing Writer
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Representatives of the cooperative effort to make affordable high speed Internet service available to northern Harlan Twp. meet at Morrow's water tower in Roachester to get the project underway.
Shown are (from left) Innovative Fiber Optic Solutions employee Chris Scheper, company president Robert Olding, Martin Russell, Warren County Economic Development deputy director, Andy Mitten, Harlan Twp. fire chief and administrator, Rhonda Ward, Morrow administrator, Harlan Twp. residents Corey Campbell and Jason Walker and Scott Kirk, Western Water Co. general manager. Not shown, Sage Cutler, Connect Ohio operations manager for Southwest Ohio.
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