Millersville moving ahead on wireless Internet

Millersville residents will see an invitation to buy high-speed wireless Internet plans in their next water bills. Cape Girardeau County Public Water Supply District 2 officials approved the plan Thursday.

In January, the board agreed to let Velosity Electronics install antennas on Millersville's water towers. The company's promise to do the work was upended by recent weather, according to Rick Tidwell, the water board's vice president.

"They can't control the weather. They had a problem, now their issues are going to be resolved, hopefully," Tidwell said. "It's all done for community service, so hopefully we can expand it."

He said Velosity plans to put a third antenna on a tower near Gravel Hill.

"They tentatively told me 30 days, barring the weather," Tidwell said. "I farm, so I'm weather-dependent, too, so I know what they're going through."

On Thursday, two Velosity representatives brought laptops to the board meeting.

"They had the Internet up and running and demonstrated it," Tidwell said.

Water district bookkeeper Amanda Hutteger earlier expressed frustration the company hadn't connected the office computer to the Internet. She processes 750 water bills by hand each month. An online link would allow the district to offer electronic billing and online payments.

Eric Bennett, Velosity Electronics' president, said he expects the water board's office computer to be online by the end of next week.

Tidwell said he is among those eager to move from a dial-up connection to the Web to high-speed service but will have to wait until the third antenna is installed.

The board also discussed how nearly seven miles of water pipes would be moved to accommodate MoDOT road construction on Highway 72 at Highway 34.

"I can't put a dollar sign on it," Tidwell said. "It's just now starting. The engineers are working on it."

The water board's next meeting is at 7 p.m. May 15 at the district office, 2345 Route B in Millersville.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127

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