Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Colfax Cable project
Contract field engineer Gary Irek measures a pole in Colfax May 5.
Colfax residents may have noticed men carrying yellow measuring tubes near power poles in recent weeks.
Since early April, a crew from International Telecommunication Corporation – a subcontractor for Corning – has been in Colfax for field engineering for “fiber-to-the-home,” an internet broadband expansion plan being explored by Colfax Cable.
If all goes well, the company will offer increased broadband internet speed and capacity to residents in Colfax.
“We're 95 percent sure this is going to translate to fiber-to-the-home,” said Eric Trump, general manager for Colfax Cable. “Very few towns this size are getting this.”
Once field engineering is complete, followed by permitting and approval by Avista, which owns most of the electrical poles here, Colfax Cable may complete the work and offer the service to the public next year.
“If it proves too expensive, it's possible not to do the project, but unlikely,” Trump said.
The company will soon submit a plan to Avista's joint-use department for changes it would like to make to the poles, which include stringing new lines and potentially adding certain small plastic boxes onto the poles.
The additions could begin this summer.
“Ultimately, it's about being safe,” said Paul Kimmel, regional business manager for Avista.
Gary Irek, one of the contract field engineers working in Colfax, measured 39 poles last Friday, May 5, checking heights and clearances according to National Electric Code specifications.
“First we engineer and design the job, then make-ready, then anchor permits,” said Irek, referring to if a dead-end pole or angled pole needs an anchor to hold it straight and/or clear of obstruction.
Some poles have been replaced as the work went on, due to rotting.
Irek and three other crew members have stayed at the Best Western in Colfax during the project, the latest job in a career that takes them to specific sites around the U.S.
“You really get to see the country,” said Irek, originally from Wisconsin. “This is nice (in Colfax). You ain't got five lanes of traffic, getting run over. We'll know the whole town when we leave.”
In the end, Avista is interested in the work coming to fruition.
“We want them to be absolutely successful,” Kimmel said. “The consumer at the other end will see a marked improvement.”
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
Reader Comments(0)