Technology Grant Approved
GCISD Superintendent Steve Long has announced that the county has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the state's Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund to be used for providing a wireless community internet network. He had applied for the TIF grant last year, but the application was not funded. Never one to give up, Long said at that time, "I'll keep applying for it [the grant]” and his perseverance has paid off. He will accept the award at a conference in Austin July 29.
GCISD will provide $25,000 in matching funds required for the grant, but Long is hopeful that a grant from the Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission will reimburse the school for that money. GCISD will also serve as the financial agent for the grant's administration, their personnel will maintain the system, and the GCISD Board will be the final authority on grant-related activities.
Long says the TIF grant will, among other things, provide funds for building a community-wide internet access network, connecting public-use computers to be located at the school, the community center, and the St. Lawrence gin office. Such stations will enable those without personal computers to access the resources of the worldwide web, and in addition, provide equipment for various computer-training classes to be conducted by volunteers from the school and the county at large. Long says the funds can also provide equipment such as video cameras, printers and scanners for public use.
Ultimately, the goal of area TIF grants seems to be for all Permian Basin counties to be connected to a large computer network served through the Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission, making costs more affordable for each county in the service area.
Long says local plans will be refined, and may change after more specific community needs are identified.