PRINSBURG, MN, November 8, 2021: On Tuesday, November 2nd, the Prinsburg City Council held a community broadband meeting at the Prinsburg Community Center to complete the next step towards a fiber-to-the home broadband project in partnership with Arvig. Over 40 people were in attendance, including community members and business owners, City representatives, Arvig Enterprises, Inc., and Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission Broadband Committee members.
Access to high-speed broadband internet is an important issue for attracting and retaining community members and businesses alike. As many have experienced firsthand over the past 18 months, broadband has become a critical infrastructure for people to work from home, attend online classes, and participate in telemedicine appointments; not to mention staying connected with loved ones.
“I was considering moving out of town,” Alex Calvin told the City Council on Tuesday. “This project will help attract more young adults to Prinsburg.”
The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners approved an allocation of $330,000 from their American Rescue Plan Act funds on September 21st. Additional funding for this $1 million project will come from Arvig ($450,000) and the City of Prinsburg. Thanks to the overwhelming support for this project at Tuesday’s community meeting, the Prinsburg City Council adopted a Resolution Approving Property Tax Abatements. This resolution allows the City to issue general obligation taxable tax abatement bonds not to exceed $275,000, with a tax abatement term of up to ten years.
As part of the agreement between Arvig and the City of Prinsburg, construction will begin no later than August 1, 2022, with substantial completion by December 31, 2022.