Dryden Fiber project enters phase three

The Dryden Fiber project recently entered phase three, as Dryden officials continue their mission of providing widespread broadband service.

Phase three was presented earlier this month by HUNT Engineers, an architectural firm assisting the town with the project. The primary initiative is to lay out plans for design, bidding and construction management for phase-three areas.

“This [phase] will allow pole attachments to run fiber on the poles,” said Dryden Town Supervisor Jason Leifer. “We’re at the stage where it’s stretching out from the fiber backbone.”

According to David Makar, marketing coordinator for Dryden Fiber, more than 150 parcels could have access to the project’s internet service.

“It’s exciting. It’s a lot more homes, a lot more parcels and areas to market to,” Makar said.

Dryden Fiber, a $15 million project that began in 2019, is the first municipal broadband provider in New York state. It started providing service last November. The town has noted in the past that the project is expected to pay for itself within a decade. 

Phase three includes a utility pole survey for the villages of Dryden and Freeville and the hamlet of Etna in preparation of applications for installation. This will lead to aerial bid documents for those areas.

Also in phase three, all routes will be defined north of Route 13 to the town boundary. Main roads and adjacent roads are included where the broadband service needs households in those areas. Those areas include:

• Peruville Road
• Route 108
• Upper Creek Road
• Lower Creek Road
• Route 109
• Fall Creek Road
• Route 163
• State Rt. 13 North (Village of Dryden to town boundary)
• Livermore Road
• Bradshaw Road
• And more

Leifer noted that the town recently put in a request for proposals (RFP) to Tompkins County to provide funding for internet service for unserved addresses in the Dryden Municipal District. This means, Leifer added, that Dryden Fiber will compete with Spectrum and other broadband service providers to offer service first.

“Even if companies beat us on the RFP, we’re still building in that area – no matter what,” Leifer said, noting the ability to offer competitive prices. “Our goal is to bring the price down, not to do what other providers do, which is to increase costs over time.”

Makar said Dryden Fiber receives inquiries every day from among the 150 parcels available. He noted that people are satisfied with the lowest deal at $45 per month, but a good portion request higher speeds at $90 per month.

On its website, Dryden Fiber provides a map that details where service is currently available or in progress, as well as showing availability within a year.

“There’s a lot of demand,” Makar said.

Leifer mentioned that town residents who have Dryden Fiber service are enjoying it so far.

“The way things are going, as long as things see approval, we could be putting fiber on poles in the village of Freeville and parts of the village of Dryden by November,” Leifer said.

Leifer said Dryden Fiber continues to stand by its goal of providing broadband service to “every single address” and “every single road” in the town.

“It’s an essential service that needs to be provided to everybody in the town of Dryden,” Leifer said. “The private industry has failed to do that, so we’re stepping in to do it.”

Dryden Dispatch appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Dryden wins 3 NYSACC awards

The town of Dryden recently won three awards from the New York State Association of Conservation Commissions (NYSACC).

Kate Lee and Mckenna Crocker, Dryden High School students and members of the town’s Climate Smart Task Force, recently received the Joy Squires Student Recognition Award at a dinner in Ithaca.

Dryden also received the Environmental Project Award for collaboration between the town’s Climate Smart Communities Task Force and the Dryden High School Sustainability Club.

In addition, Bob Beck, chair of the Dryden Rail Trail Task Force, was honored with the Margery Sachs Environmental Leadership Award.

Annual Homestead Heritage Fair Day is Saturday

The Dryden Town Historical Society’s (DTHS) annual Homestead Heritage Fair Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 14 North St.

The free-of-charge event will include music, food, ice cream, demonstrations and fun. The event will feature music performed by the Dryden High School band ensemble, the Ithaca Ageless jazz band and Max and the Cats.

Event-goers can enjoy blacksmithing and chair-caning demonstrations and witness magnificent birds of prey from Cornell University’s raptor program. Other activities include face painting, a quilt display, lace-making, woodcrafts and local pottery.

Cheese and balloon animals will be available for purchase, and food is provided by Village Taqueria and Smash Me 607 food trucks. Guided tours through the historic Southworth House on North Street will also be available.

For further information about the fair, contact DTHS at 607-844-9209.

DTHS is in search of volunteers for the fair. If interested, contact Fred Likel at 607-591-5507 or Craig Schutt at 607-379-5965.

Annual Dryden haunted house event is in October

The Town of Dryden Recreation Department will hold its annual haunted house event in October.

The free-of-charge event is called “Asylum: Will You Survive?” It will be held on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28 at the Dryden Fire Hall at 26 North St. in the village.

The evening scare show will take place on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28 from 6 to 9 p.m. On Oct. 28, a kid-friendly, lights-on scare show is scheduled from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Candy and costumes are welcome at the event. Nonmonetary donations will be accepted for the Dryden Food Pantry or Toys for Tots.

For information, contact the town’s recreation department at 607-844-8888.