The company chosen to work with the county to provide high speed wireless internet service is hoping to have a proposal within the next couple of months.
Everus Communications is still “in the middle of being sold to another company,” and president Richard Cantin said in an interview on Monday, “It is taking longer than anticipated.”
Cantin said it had proved more time consuming than he expected to have new people take over the company.
He added that he hopes that deal is completed by the end of January. He said if that can be done, it is possible he or one of the new owners will be making a presentation to county council. He said that could come as early as February, but March is more likely.
“It’s been the better part of three-quarters of a year,” Cantin admitted. “It’s been frustrating for a lot of folks – myself included.”
Wellington County is holding a provincial government grant worth $1-million to help set up wireless internet service in the county, and in early 2009 county council named Everus as its service provider. The company is expected to provide double the county’s portion to provide high speed internet service to rural parts of the county.
The company ran into various difficulties since the summer. Some investors pulled back in July, and then on Sept. 12, Everus was hit by vandals who knocked over its communications tower near Parker on County Road 7 and left 3,000 people without service.
He said to date, there has been no solving of that sabotage.
County council has been patient and hopes the company will soon make a presentation on its plans. A November deadline came and went, and Warden Joanne Ross-Zuj said before Christmas she is hopeful that the company will be ready soon.
Everus began in Mount Forest under a different name, and has customers in Grey, Wellington, Dufferin, Perth, Bruce, Brant, and Oxford Counties and Waterloo Region.
