The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON—The Port of Columbia will hold a Zoom meeting on Monday, August 31, from 6 – 7:30 p.m. to share information about their proposed broadband project in the City of Dayton and some adjacent outlying areas. Attendees will hear a presentation on the project, be able to ask questions, and will also be asked to fill out a short survey regarding their current service.

The Port contracted with PocketiNet, a Walla Walla-based company, to conduct a broadband feasibility study that was completed in February of this year.

“Port Commissioners hoped to be able to hold a public meeting to share information about the study in person, but the pandemic has made that impossible,” stated Jennie Dickinson, executive director of the Port of Columbia.

In addition to hearing a presentation on the Port’s proposed project, attendees will hear from Scott Hutsell, a Lincoln County Commissioner who also serves as the chair of the Public Works Board, a state funding agency that provides infrastructure funds to communities; Diana Ruchert, the manager of the Port of Garfield where a community broadband project is currently under construction; and Steve Mantle of Innov8 Ag Solutions who will speak to some of the ways the agricultural industry is using broadband to improve production.

The attendee survey will be available during the Zoom meeting via a link in the chat room, but can also be taken ahead of time by visiting the Port’s website at http://www.portofcolumbia.org.

The Port of Columbia’s mission is to maximize public resources and private investment to create jobs, provide infrastructure, and maintain and improve the economic vitality of Columbia County and its communities.

To join the Broadband Information Meeting via Zoom, go to http://www.bit.ly/PortZoom just before 6:00 pm on August 31 or you can join by phone by calling 1-253-215-8782 with Meeting ID: 891 686 9076 and Password: 655824