What does broadband mean to Cook County’s future and how has it impacted other communities where it has been installed?
These were two questions Cook County Higher Education Director Paula Sundet-Wolf attempted to answer in her report to Cook County commissioners on December 22.
Sundet-Wolf attended the three-day “Border to Border” Blandin Foundation Broadband Conference held November 18-20, 2015.
Cook County Broadband Commission Member Bob Pranis petitioned the commissioners to reimburse the Broadband Commission so that Sundet-Wolf could attend the conference. The information she brought back was both exciting and enlightening.
Red Wing, Minnesota has had broadband for the last three years. In that time the Wall Street Journal and other magazines and newspapers have touted it for its innovative ideas.
Sundet-Wolf described a new program founded by the Red Wing community called Red Wing Ignite. “Neela Mollgaard, executive director of the Red Wing (RW) Ignite gave a presentation noting the ‘amazing achievements surrounding broadband innovation,’” said Sundet-Wolf.
RW Ignite provides infrastructure for the entire community. It offers collaborative space for meetings, co-working space and private offices and ties people into regional and national networks with high-speed Internet access. Training is available for individuals or businesses that want to learn more about the technology, and programs are in place to help high school students who are technology minded.
Another county that has hopped on the broadband wagon is Chisago County. Sundet-Wolf said Nancy Hoffmann presented information on the initiative of the Chisago County Housing Rehabilitation Agency (HRA)/Economic Development Authority (EDA).
“…What a fantastic web site and demonstration community. It would be worthwhile to use this as a goal for our community. The business/marketing examples utilizing broadband are things we could easily highlight in Cook County. Their training workshops are on par with what we have offered in Cook County, which was nice to see,” said Sundet- Wolf.
Sundet-Wolf shared three examples highlighted by the Chisago County website (www.chisagocounty.org), such as Dennis Johnson, owner of Natural Spaces Domes who said his business has grown substantially to now include sales to Norway, Japan, Russia, etc., “but only because of the Internet.”
Sven’s Comfort Shoes are the largest maker (30,000 pairs) of Swedish Clogs in America. Since starting an Internet sales site three years ago, Internet sales have become half of the company’s business, said owner Marie Rivers. Rivers said sales are up about $1 million from pre-Internet sales.
Amy Frischmone, one of the owners of Wild Mountain, a recreational business that offers skiing, snow boarding and snow tubing in the winter and a waterpark, alpine slide, go carts, and other activities in the summer, reported that her operation has grown through Internet marketing and runs much smoother with broadband access.
Sundet-Wolf also shared information on “Maker Spaces,” and an “absolutely amazing facility ‘Launchpad’ that opened in Bemidji in June 1, 2015.” In that project, an empty 22,000 square-foot building was renovated for $1.4, with co-workers the smallest tenants. Other entities using the space include Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Bemidji State University, EXB Solutions, and Team Industries.
Attendees at the Blandin conference also heard from Matt Farris of the Duluth Maker Space who talked about that facility, which, Sundet-Wolf said, has very low rent fees—$25 to $50 a month.
“They have a huge space (11,000 square feet) with a wood shop, metal shop, and 3D printers. It sounds like it could serve as a model for ISD 166’s industrial arts facility. They offer classes, $10 to $15 per person per class,” said Sundet-Wolf.
Betsy Bonnema for WORKUP in Willmar also gave a presentation on co-working. “Their co-working facility is the smallest population co-working center in the state (50,000 population). They have a pretty big building, too; they have remodeled an old building. They charge $100 to $325 per month—the highest rate for a dedicated desk with lockable storage. It has a gorgeous location looking out at a lake, with outside seating on a lawn,” said Sundet-Wolf.
Sundet-Wolf said she asked how the concept would work in smaller communities.
“…She said that smaller communities just use smaller spaces. She mentioned that European models are quite tiny—even using the kitchen counter in someone’s home (in Sweden). It’s worth looking into for more information.”
Locally, said Sundet- Wolf, the county and city are exploring establishment of broadband-connected computer workstations at the Cook County YMCA, Birch Grove Community Center and the Grand Marais city hall building that could be rented. Hovland has yet to identify a site, but that is also on the radar, she said.
“I spoke with John Hammerlink from Central Lakes College to ask him about the technology and programming certificates and degrees being offered to high school students. Three colleges are offering this collaboration. It sounds like it would be a nice fit for our community,” she said.
According to Blandin Foundation Broadband Conference keynote speaker Susan Crawford, dial-up is now inadequate. Crawford said fiber is future proof; however connecting the whole country will take at least six more years. Unfortunately 49 percent of people with incomes less than $25,000 are not connected to Internet, denying them of accessibility and availability of the very technology that could help pull them up financially. Crawford told conference attendees this is why Maker Spaces and similar projects are so very valuable to communities like Cook County.
Connecting the county to the state and the rest of the country and world is vital, said Wolf-Sundet. Reiterating the conference keynote speaker Susan Crawford, Sundet-Wolf said, “We cannot just sit and wait for someone to do this for us.”
Leave a Reply