By entering into a contract with the Miami Valley Educational Computer Association (MVECA) to join the 44-mile fiber optics network, the township’s main sites on Lyons and Wood roads can offer better services, it said in a statement Wednesday.
“We will be able to better store data and increase our internet capabilities. Currently, our data storage needs are immense,” Miami Twp. Administrator Ron Hess said in the statement.
Board of Trustees President John Morris said the move “can also provide us with economic development opportunities to potentially extend this technology to our businesses and residents at lower costs.”
But Hess said “our public works building is hindered right now by the lack of fast internet speed and storage capabilities. Our police department needs more storage space for cruiser cam videos, future body cam videos and better connectivity when the Kettering Police Department begins handling our dispatching services next year.”
Kettering is one of several Miami Valley Communications Council members connected to the network. Others include Centerville, Miamisburg, Moraine, Oakwood, Springboro and West Carrollton.
The MVCC last month announced a multi-million-dollar, long-term deal with a Georgia-based business to extend a fiber broadband network to those members, expanding service options for homes and businesses.
Sinclair Community College’s Centerville campus is also connected to the ring, officials have said. The MVCC has also been in talks with Dayton, Montgomery County, Sinclair’s downtown Dayton campus and Trotwood.
Miami Twp. will fund about 15% of its project’s overall cost - $421,654 - over five years, records show. CARES Act will cover $306,715 and one of the township’s Joint Economic Development Districts will pay $50,000, township documents state.
The MVECA is managing the project, according to the township. Connecting the township buildings to the fiber optics ring is expected to take about six months all the materials are acquired, officials said.
The association was one of three organizations to submit proposals to provide fiber-based internet services to both the township’s Lyons Road and Wood Road complexes, records show.
Cincinnati Bell and Leman, a Wisconsin-based business, also submitted proposals, according to the township.
The MVECA, located in Yellow Springs, is a consortium of 31 school districts and service centers from Clark, Clinton, Greene, Highland, Fayette, Madison, Montgomery, and Ross counties.
About the Author
