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Request for Action <br />To <br />Item Number <br />Mayor and Ci T Council <br />4.6 <br />Agenda Section <br />Meeting Date <br />Prepared by <br />Consent <br />January 2, 2024 <br />Cal Portner, City Administrator <br />Item Description <br />Reviewed by <br />Tekstar Broadband Grant Agreement — Project <br />Jared Shepherd, City Attorney <br />#2 <br />Reviewed by <br />Action Requested <br />Approve, by motion, a grant agreement with Tekstar d/b/a Arvig for broadband fiber installation. <br />Background/Discussion <br />One of the Elk River City Council's highest priority goals is the expansion of broadband services to unserved and <br />underserved areas of the community. In 2021, the Council designated funding from the federal American Rescue <br />Plan Act (ARPA) to partner with agencies to expand broadband. <br />Sherburne County developed a Broadband Access Grant Program to help providers extend their services to <br />locations that are not economically feasible without a public -private partnership. In 2022, the city and county <br />partnered with Tekstar/Arvig for service expansion in 2023. Arvig made a second request in late 2022 for a <br />further expansion to be constructed in 2024. <br />On January 3, 2023, the City Council adopted a resolution supporting Sherburne County's grant program <br />pledging $41,950.00 of ARPA funds to the second project. Arvig has begun the preliminary planning and <br />permitting for the 2024 project. This agreement binds the city to assist with the funding of the work. <br />Financial Impact <br />N/A <br />Mission/Policy/Goal <br />The Elk River Vision and Mission Statements <br />Attachments <br />Sherburne County Request <br />• Resolution <br />• Grant Agreement <br />The Elk River Vision <br />A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional <br />service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires pi ospei ly. <br />M <br />TUREJ <br />Updated.• August 2020 <br />