Tue 6/30
The W. 25th corridor is getting a huge internet upgrade thanks to OneCommunity’s Big Gig Challenge Grant, which offered up to $2 million in a 25% match towards project construction and equipment costs.
One of this year’s grants was awarded to the W. 25th Street Corridor, managed by the Stockyard, Clark-Fulton and Brooklyn Centre Community Development Office earlier this year. With an enhanced broadband network that will be able to provide speeds up to 100x faster than what an average user has in their home; the 900+ properties on W. 25th are certainly looking forward to the new boost.
CoolCleveland caught up with the Economic Development Director at the Stockyard, Clark-Fulton and Brooklyn Centre Community Development Office, Adam Stalder, for more details.
“We have over a million square feet of space that we’re trying to get something going with, and one of the things we want to focus on is improving infrastructure, and trying to attract modern companies,” said Stalder, who highlighted how perspective businesses will see the W. 25th corridor as more of an asset with these improved internet speeds.
“If we’re looking to attract modern companies, modern companies need modern amenities: like high speed fiber internet,” says Stalder.
On the other hand, high speed internet is not something new for the corridor. In years past, OneCommunity has installed underground fiber to connect MetroHealth to the network and has since worked with Metro to expand and attract more medical and technological companies. The problem is now is that it’s costing too much money for other individual businesses to connect to the same submerged cables.
The new above ground cable will be less costly for perspective businesses to connect to, and will stretch all the way through the Ohio City, Tremont, Clark-Fulton, Brooklyn Centre and Old Brooklyn neighborhoods. In addition to looking for perspective business to connect, W. 25th is also focusing on connecting already established institutions like The West Side Market, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, MetroHealth Systems’ Main and Old Brooklyn campuses, Nestle’s LJ Minor Facility, Voss Industries, Great Lakes Brewing Company and the Lutheran Hospital (Cleveland Clinic).
OneCommunity, a nonprofit organization based in Cleveland, works to expand high-speed broadband access and adoption to strengthen Northeast Ohio.
When asked about the experience, Stalder said, “OneCommunity has been fantastic, and the application process was actually quite easy.” The grant required a public-private partnership approach, with the grant funding accounting for up to 25 percent of the total project costs.
Through the help of OneCommunity, W. 25th’s future looks bright when it comes to internet connection capabilities and speeds. Expect to see a growth in the corridor, as well as in the other two grant recipient locations: The Village of Glenwillow and Lorain County Community College. Stay tuned for more winners to be announced in August 2015.
http://www.onecommunity.org/biggig2015/