BY HANNAH GOLDFINGER
FOR THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — The Lee County Commission discussed the ongoing issue of internet access in Beauregard and Loachapoka during its April 28 regular meeting.
The discussion began several years ago, before the COVID-19 epidemic, but took off after Lee County received American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that could be used to resolve local internet access issues.
“I’m glad that we have this back on the agenda this evening — there have been a couple questions that people in Beauregard and Loachapoka [have] regarding ISP services and forward progress and how we’re pushing or asking,” said District 5 Commissioner Richard LaGrand, who put the item on the agenda.
County Administrator Holly Leverette said that the first project following the ARPA funds was in Salem.
“That project has been completed at this point, so it has moved into the operations phase, where people can now actually request service at their houses,” she said.
The second project, which will cover 26 miles and reach over 190 houses in the southeast area of the county, began in summer 2024 and is expected to be done by the end of the year 2026. People will be able to request service after that, Leverette said.
Third is the East Central Project, which will cover 24 miles and serve 370 houses, is also currently underway. It began in January and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Fourth, the South Central Project, expected to begin in October and hopefully finished in March of 2026, will cover 21 miles and 127 houses.
Finally, the Loachapoka Project is expected to begin in September and be completed in December 2026.
The first four projects were all awarded to the internet service provider BEAM. Loachapoka will be served by Spectrum.
Although these are the five Lee County projects, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) projects are also a potential option for the county.
“ADECA is currently working with other grants as well, not just ours, but others,” Leverette said. “Their big push right now is through the BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) program, and the BEAD program is meant to reach all the areas that are unserved or underserved once people, and counties like us, finish our projects.”
There are 30 areas — called Community Anchor Institutions — in Lee County that ADECA has identified for priority access. Leverette said 16 of these are in rural portions of the county, and although most are related to schools, this will also provide internet access to nearby houses.
“They are going to be given higher priority, because they feel that they are so important to the community because they are schools,” Leverette said. “So, the areas around these schools and these anchor institutions are also going to benefit from having broadband come into those areas.”
A date was not given for starting, as ADECA is still in the application process, she said.
For more information, check the website: broadband.alabama.gov/broadband-maps/.
Financial Literacy
The commission added an item to the agenda Monday night to allow Dr. Nate Dunlap, chairman and cofounder of the PRF Institute, to speak and share more about financial literacy. Following his presentation, the commission voted to proclaim April as Financial Literacy month in Lee County.
“We know that Alabama is one of the states that has a high poverty rate, and so it does trickle down to our county and our cities,” Dunlap said. “Our organization, the PRF Institute, has been a leader across the nation in helping to make sure people have the financial literacy resources to get into much better places financially.”
The institute has been in Lee County for four years but has been promoting financial literacy since 2008.
Other Business
The commission recognized student achievements from Loachapoka and Beauregard High Schools.
The commission approved the consent agenda — including travel requests.
The commission approved an ABC Liquor License for Store 109.
The commission approved the capital project funds at Beulah Park.