County To Consider $35.87M Bond For Broadband

By Chris English

SCHOHARIE COUNTY — The Schoharie County Board of Supervisors will consider at its Friday morning, March 21 meeting floating a $35.87 million bond that would fund a $33.6 million broadband project aimed at providing every county resident with the ability to connect with the Internet.

Details of the borrowing were discussed at the Wednesday, March 12 meeting of the county's Economic Development Committee, chaired by Supervisor Werner Hampel of Cobleskill. According to him, County Treasurer Mary Ann Wollaber-Bryan, and others, the plan would be to pay back the bond in stages with a $30 million New York State ConnectAll grant the county is expected to receive for the project.

The grant is a reimbursable one wherein the county fronts money for the project and is then reimbursed from the grant at various milestones along the way. In addition to anticipated money from the bond, also available to fund the project is $204,000 in leftover American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money.

Hampel, Wollaber-Bryan and others said there is a good chance all the money from the $35.87 million bond would not be needed.

"The idea is you go for the full amount because if you don't and more is needed you won't be able to get it," Wollaber-Bryan explained at the March 12 committee meeting.

Hampel said in a phone conversation on Monday that one of the reasons the project might come in under its estimated cost is that more cable than originally thought can be laid underground rather than strung on poles, and underground is cheaper.

To be considered at Friday's meeting are three resolutions connected to the project, a SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) resolution, a resolution with details on the bond and one with details on the project.

In other news from the March 12 committee meeting, Hampel gave an update on the Ramada by Wyndham project that will replace the long-closed Best Western Hotel in the Village of Cobleskill.

Hampel, who has been closely involved with the project, estimated that the 76 rooms, indoor swimming pool, conference room and banquet room will be ready to open by mid or late May. He added that the restaurant/bar and bowling alley would not be ready until sometime in the fall.

Hampel said furniture has been ordered but it's taking awhile and that all the room doors had to be replaced with new key cards, among a lot of other work.