Columbiana Co. seeks teamwork in Internet endeavor

By D.a. Wilkinson

An official said the first funding would be for main Internet lines.

LISBON — The Columbiana County commissioners on Tuesday said that community participation in an effort to provide countywide high-speed computer service is vital.

Commissioner Penny Traina, chairman of the commissioners, sent off an e-mail stating, “Your participations is vital to the success of the county.”

The message was sent to business, schools, health-care providers, other political subdivisions and the agricultural community.

A meeting in Lisbon earlier in the day on the topic was attended by only a handful of people.

Gary Lambert, who is working with the Ohio Department of Education through a program called Connect Ohio, said the project would provide about $1.5 million in Columbiana County. The state board of education would be the conduit for federal stimulus revenue.

The Connect Ohio program is designed to help counties in Appalachia, which includes Columbiana County.

Traina added: “It is imperative that we have a representative from each sector so that we can determine your needs. We need to collaborate and work together so that we can complete our plan so that we will be ready when the funding is released.”

Commissioner Jim Hoppel said he wants the county to be ready when the first wave of money is released.

The funds would be used to provide what Hoppel called “the main highway” for the project.

Future rounds of funding would be used to extend high-speed Internet lines into the county, Hoppel added.

Lambert said that developers over the years had run cable lines in a variety of ways but for some reason never connected them to homes.

Debbie Hartzell, the fiscal officer for Knox Township, said the township is interested in trying to obtain high-speed service.

She said some people are still are limited to slow dial-up service. She said West Township was also interested in high-speed service.

Pam Dray of the county’s economic development agency said many people in the county can’t afford the Internet. She added that businesses may also not have funds to hire someone to create a Web site.

Lambert said some people are turning to free service.

“People go to the library and run their business out of the library,” Lambert said.

The next meeting on the topic will be at 10 a.m. July 14 at the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency in Lisbon.

wilkinson@vindy.com