After holding a brief retirement ceremony for Kent Hubbard, a senior lieutenant and 25-year veteran of the Oak Ridge North Police Department who will depart the force May 1, council members heard a presentation regarding a possible new internet service provider for the city. FastFiber representative Tommy Sammons shared an overview of his company’s fiber optic cable offerings as a potential replacement for the city’s current internet provider, AT&T.
“I think we’ve all experienced issues with AT&T in the city,” Mayor Paul Bond said. “Most of us here have had to work from home and have found out how difficult that can be when you have your wife in one office and you’re in another office, and if you have much more than that you’re really in trouble.”
If the city elects to switch to FastFiber’s service, Sammons said Oak Ridge North officials would have to decide between fully funding and owning all new infrastructure in the city or allowing the cable company to develop its own local network based on resident interest within certain geographic areas.
Following his presentation, council members questioned Sammons about the service and said they would likely choose the second option of a company-owned infrastructure if they decide to move forward with the transition away from AT&T. In that scenario, residents would be required to state their interest to FastFiber on an individual basis, and the company would provide service based on geographic areas of high interest through the city limits.
Council did not take action on the internet presentation April 27.
Later in the session, council also discussed a potential timeline for reopening the city’s public parks and pool. Given its later opening date and potential operational restrictions due to coronavirus concerns, council members said they may not elect to open the pool for the 2020 season.
“In my view, I’m not sure that it’s going to be worth it for us to open the pool up this summer,” Bond said. “The park is another issue in itself because I don’t want our guys to have to police people for social distancing.”
After discussion, council directed staff to examine the costs of operating the pool on a full or limited basis this summer. Council members will consider the reopening items at a future meeting.
The council’s next meeting is scheduled for May 11. Council members will decide later this week whether to continue holding sessions open to the public in person or return to a live videoconference format open to online public interaction.
