Photo by Lester Smith
The trench for the extension of fiber optics connections among Suffield’s municipal buildings is being dug down Bridge Street past the First National Bank in this October 10 photo.
That digging that’s been putting trenches and underground conduits in the town center will provide a fiber optics connection among more of Suffield’s municipal buildings. Planned for a number of years, the project was made a part of this year’s capital expense budget. When completed, digital communication among Town departments will be significantly improved, with the expectation of providing cost savings and better efficiency. In particular, the emergency services expect to benefit from good information sharing.
The current project will extend the Town’s existing fiber optics network from the main Fire Station east to the Kent Memorial Library and along Bridge Street as far as the Senior Center and the Zak Ambulance Center. A connection will be available to a future Bridge Street Community Center. Trenching work began in September and was completed by the end of October; at press time, the fiber optic cable was being threaded; connections and associated equipment installations will follow.
The Town 2016-2017 budget approved last May included $185,000 for this project; additional support was provided by the Suffield Public Library Foundation and by funds of the Library Commission. Providing access to digital information sources is a growing, important, feature of the library’s services, and the fiber connection will be a boon to that service – when the building reopens.