SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2021 | 5A
WATER from page 1A
“It’s more than just the water be-
ing turned off. It’s also concern-
ing when they don’t notify us
when they’re going to be turning
the water off and the fact when
they do turn the water back on
... we were never notified that
we were able to drink the water
again.”
According to the resident, a let-
ter was not sent out to customers
informing them that it was safe
to drink, with most getting word
through the newspaper and on
social media.
Calls to the MWD from Siu-
slaw New seeking clarification on
the water bills sent to customers,
and unconfirmed reports that
sitting board members have re-
signed due to the latest situation,
have gone unanswered and unre-
turned.
In addition, the resignation of
Terry Saubert as MWD Board
President has been posted on var-
ious social media platforms but
has not been officially verified,
and calls to Saubert were not re-
turned as of press time.
One member of the WMD
Board, Vice Chairperson Dustin
Basurto, has been willing to speak
with Siuslaw News, with Basurto
explaining that he wants residents
to know there will be an opportu-
nity this week to speak at a special
session of the MWD board.
A Zoom meeting has been
scheduled for Wednesday (time
yet to be determined) to allow
for the selection of new board
members and for clarification of
the path forward regarding the
unclear hike in water bills.
“A few members of the board
have agreed to make themselves
available Wednesday night for
a Zoom meeting,” Basurto said.
the infrastructure required Hyak has been selected to
to provide reliable internet fulfill that goal in our area.
Hyak was formed in 2017
nationwide program to ac- access to rural commu-
celerate the construction of nities nationwide — and by the merger of Siuslaw
INTERNET from page 1A
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“All details and the statement, as
I said, are still in the works and
[Lane County Commissioner]
Jay Bozievich has been in contact
as well. He has been surprisingly
helpful and succinct with advice
and steps moving forward.”
MWD’s remaining board
members are holding the meet-
ing to address the community’s
concerns.
Basurto also indicated a new
board may be seated, including
participation from a well-regard-
ed Mapleton resident and long-
time Salmon and Trout Enhance-
ment Program (STEP) volunteer.
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Editor’s Note: The arsonist who
set the Sweet Creek Fire, Elia New-
ton Pendergrass, pled guilty to ar-
son charges and was sentenced to
10 years in prison along with three
years of post-release supervision.
Indian Creek, Swisshome,
Brickerville and Sweet
Creek Road.
“These areas are gener-
ally served by satellite only
today or limited DSL that
no longer meets the defini-
tion of broadband,” Ecker
said.
Hyak
CEO
Robbie
Wright believes the deci-
sion to provide substantial
funding for this effort is
warranted now more than
ever.
“The RDOF program is
a great solution for rural
America and our commu-
nity to create opportuni-
ties for families who live in
our outlying areas,” he said.
“Access to quality inter-
net has become even more
important with distance
Broadband and Full Spec-
trum Computers and has
become the area leader in
providing expertise, instal-
lation and maintenance
for computer systems of all
types.
“This represents a sig-
nificant investment in the
outlying areas of Florence
and Mapleton that we’re
excited to make,” said Neil
Ecker, COO of Hyak. “Fed-
eral support of these high-
cost areas means we’re now
able to deliver our gigabit
fiber internet to some of
the most rural portions of
western Lane County.”
Hyak was awarded $1.6
million to serve areas of
the Siuslaw region outside
of Florence and Mapleton,
such as North Fork Road,
Award-winning Landscaping Service
32
“Jim Grano has stepped up
from the community at large and
I’ve asked him to form a com-
mittee of our customers/owners
to address this issue and provide
an avenue for discussion’s moving
forward,” Basurto said.
Residents with questions or
concerns can contact the MWD
office at 541-268-4348.
Thank you for your understanding,
Holloway & Associates, CPAs.
We are here for you.
Rod McCulloch
CPA
learning and remote work
as the current pandemic
continues to shape how our
rural communities can op-
erate.”
Wright said the com-
pany wants to be a part of
helping build a community
where youth can choose to
live and work — things not
possible without address-
ing the need for affordable
housing and quality inter-
net.
The FCC has, among
many other agencies, the
responsibility for oversee-
ing the nation’s airwaves
and internet infrastructure.
The commission has moved
aggressively since the onset
of the pandemic to improve
rural opportunities to uti-
lize resources which may
only be available remotely.
“Through a two-phase
reverse auction mecha-
nism, the FCC will direct
up to $20.4 billion over
10 years to finance up to
gigabit speed broadband
networks in unserved rural
areas, connecting millions
more American homes
and businesses to digital
opportunity,” the FCC said
in its announcement of the
contract awards. “Without
access to broadband, rural
Americans cannot partici-
pate in the digital economy
or take advantage of the
opportunities broadband
brings for better education,
healthcare and civic and so-
cial engagement. In recent
years, the commission has
made tremendous strides
toward increasing the avail-
ability of broadband in
rural America. But more
work remains to be done,
and the RDOF is a key part
of the FCC’s continuing ef-
forts.”
The project timeline al-
lows for a six-year window
of completion, but Wright
is hoping to have the work
completed before that
deadline.
The initial stages of the
project have begun with
preparatory work being
done in advance of Hyak
beginning to install and
construct the extensive sys-
tem, which will be needed to
run fiber optics and the sup-
porting equipment need-
ed to monitor the system.
“We have quite a bit of
work in front of us,” said
Wright. “We’re looking at
more than 80 miles of fi-
ber to be deployed with re-
quirements to be built out
to 40 percent within three
years, and 100 percent in
six years. While we’d like
to expedite those timelines,
some of these areas are
pretty remote with some
challenging aspects of their
build.”
In addition, Hyak has
opened its new office loca-
tion at 1535 Ninth St. For
more information, visit
hyak.co.
Visit us on
Serving Florence for over 40 years
the web
Proud to be a Florence and Reedsport-Winchester Bay Chamber member.
T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM
Rick Yecny
CPA
S IUSLAW N EWS