The Leelanau County Board of Commissioners unanimously agreed this month to spend $3.2 million of the county’s $4.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds on expanding broadband coverage in the county. This leaves $1 million of its current ARPA funds up for grabs.

The discussion on how to allocate that remaining money continues at a special meeting today at 1:30pm, with related agenda items to include reviewing a bid for construction of an additional tower for cellular/broadband equipment at the government center, and hiring a project manager with experience in construction of rural high-speed broadband.

Before making the call on the remaining ARPA funds (based on the 28 different proposals from local government bodies, advocacy groups, and nonprofits they’ve heard to date), commissioners will hear one more update today from HomeStretch, a nonprofit developer of affordable housing.

HomeStretch is in the process of acquiring a 2.6-acre parcel between Lake Leelanau and the Village of Suttons Bay from the Leelanau County Land Bank Authority to develop eight workforce apartments. The $1.64 million project will rely on grants and support from private foundations and donors; the balance will be financed through an institutional loan from Independent Bank.

Also aiming to keep affordable housing top of mind for the commissioners is Yarrow Brown, executive director of Housing North, who sent a memo to the board last week outlining ways a contract for services with Housing North would support the housing needs for the county and its residents. She notes a “modest” $20,000 per year of ARPA funds for Housing North’s services (with the ability to renew for an additional two years) would give hands-on assistance to developers plus “serve the unique needs of the eleven townships in Leelanau County through development of innovative local policy-based programs” such as accessory dwelling units or deed restrictions that limit occupancy to year-round residents. Brown will be present today to field commissioners’ questions.

The board is also exploring options to build a 195-foot communication tower on government center property to host five carriers and fill current gaps in cellular and broadband coverage. They will hear from Indiana-based Midway Electronics with a bid for that project today. The commissioners have yet to determine where they will pull funds to pay for the new tower but “it would be applicable for ARPA funding,” shares Matt Ansorge, tower manager and director of emergency management and 9-1-1.

Also up for potential action today — and closely related to the $3.2 million already promised for broadband — is a $160,000 contract with DCS Technology Design to serve as project manager for the county’s partially ARPA-funded initiative to provide high-speed broadband to residents and businesses lacking access (concentrated in Leelanau, Solon, and Kasson townships).

County Administrator Chet Janik explains that in order to move forward with the construction of new broadband fiber projects, the county would hire DCS Technology Design’s Chris Scharrer, who was previously tasked with the Leelanau Rural Broadband Inventory Report and worked with Leelanau Peninsula Economic Foundation’s LIFT committee and Commissioners Ty Wessell, Patricia Soutas-Little, and Melinda Lautner over the last several months addressing the broadband and cellular gaps in the county.

Should the commissioners vote today to accept the agreement, Scharrer will be the representative and consultant overseeing the entire project starting tomorrow, March 1, through the construction phase. It is expected to be completed by December 31, 2023.

Scharrer will work directly with members of Point Broadband — in cooperation with Cherryland Electric Cooperative — as they build a fiber-based broadband network to serve almost 8,000 residents on the Leelanau Peninsula.

The proposed network will reach 3,100 unserved residents on the eastern side of the peninsula, all the way north to the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, including some locations which currently lack sufficient broadband services from any existing ILEC, cable, wireless, or cellular provider.

In designing the network to reach this unserved portion of the peninsula, Point would also bring a fiber connection to another 4,672 locations that currently have some level of service, but no fiber option.

The proposed network will cost $17.4 million, with $14.3 million to construct and another $3.1 million to connect residents to the network. Point Broadband will commit $12.4 million of its own capital but requested that the county contribute $5 million to close the initial funding gap for construction. With this support, Point says it will not ask for any additional construction contribution from any resident in the proposed service area.

“Put in simple terms,” says Janik, “This is a 17-million-dollar project and our county’s commitment is 5 million.” Having already earmarked $3.2 million in ARPA funds for this purpose, the county is “seeking partnership with the townships, and additional state and federal money.”

Last Thursday, Janik and the commissioners held an informal session “inviting township supervisors and clerks to get a broadband update from us and to talk about potential financial partnerships. Leelanau Township is very vocal that they are willing to partner, as it has the most homes without service,” shares Janik.

Considering all the ARPA conversations to date and the requests on deck today, Wessell shares, “I am hopeful that the board of commissioners commits to aggressively pursue additional ARPA and infrastructure funds in order that we can fully fund the countywide broadband plan and tower projects and still address some of the issues highlighted from all of the other ARPA requests that we have discussed.”

He adds, “I believe the proposals received in the social services/ALICE/housing area created a real awareness of needs and I hope we can continue to consider potential funding sources,” he says. 

Janik tells the Leelanau Ticker of additional ARPA funding, “there is no question there will be more, it’s just when.”