HomeMy WebLinkAboutBC 2025-11-07Town of Dryden
Broadband Committee Meeting
Friday, November 7, 2025 – Via Zoom
Approved Minutes
Attendees
Graham Dobson – Broadband Committee
Tony Salerno – Broadband Committee
Joel Cisne – Broadband Committee
Arthur Sommer – Broadband Committee
Jason Leifer – Town of Dryden Supervisor
Dan Lamb – Town of Dryden Deputy Supervisor
Mark Witmer – Town of Caroline Supervisor
Brad Penney – Vantage Point Solutions
Kevin Keough – Vantage Point Solutions
Andrew Hafner – Netegrity
Tom Hardy – Clarity Connect
Dave Makar – Executive Director
Amanda Anderson – Director of Finance and Personnel
Cassie Byrnes – Confidential Secretary to the Town Supervisor
Matt Kinast – Accounting Assistant
Ray Burger – Planning Director
Sydney Lee – Cortland Standard
Dave Makar called the meeting to order at 10:35am
First of 2 Monthly Meetings – Reporting of the Previous Month (October)
Executive Summary – Dave Makar
We have 487 paying customers (+11 in October); We had 98 in-bound requests
• Monthly Revenue (October 2025) = $26,620
We added 0 new parcels, and remain at 1,815 parcels (30.9% of the Town of Dryden)
The Freeville Extension RFP was awarded on 9/18 and work started on 10/27
• 900+ new parcels; 25+ miles of fiber; 60 business day build plan estimated
• We are aiming to have this package completed around February 12th
Empire State Development (ESD) Board approved increase to project ($11.6M of the $12.6M
expansion will be paid by the state and is reimbursable)
• Went through the public hearing process; A copy of it went to legal; Now waiting on a dollar
amount that should come in the next 5 days
• We can sign the Grant Disbursement Agreement sometime this month and then submit our
reimbursement request (we are expecting a 60–75-day turnaround time on the first
reimbursement)
The network audit to assess and document everything in the network is 50%+ complete
Account management and inventory findings:
• We went through the entire sign-up list through the end of October and found that about
1,400 people have signed up, with about 147 of those having an “open” or “unknown” status
o We are working to follow up with these sign-ups
• Inventory management had many gaps
o M Kinast did a physical inventory and is working to align what we have with what we
need for construction and installations
o T Salerno expressed concerns with how much inventory we currently have and the lead
time on ordering necessary equipment; D Makar confirmed that we have plenty of
inventory and we will keep a close eye on it
o We have started to categorize the number of sign-ups in different neighborhoods, to
get a better idea of what the first month will look like for installs and assess inventory
• D Makar explained that we now have over 135 people signed up in the Town of Caroline, likely
due to the Groundbreaking Ceremony and the Town of Caroline newsletter
MIP Scoreboard (As of November 1) – Dave Makar
• Months to Go: 14 (out of 30) = 47% of time left
• # of Parcels Reached: 258 (out of 2,711) = 9.5% of total parcels reached
• # of MIP Installs: 53 (out of 400) = 13.3% of total installations
• MIP Miles Completed: 5.1 (out of 147) = 3.4% of total miles
• # of Unserved Reached: 4 (out of 470) = .9% reached
• # of Underserved Reached: 1 (out of 74) = 1.4% reached
• 419 DAYS TO GO 13 months, 3 weeks, 141.9 miles to build
The committee discussed the progress of Electric Make Ready work, with B Penney emphasizing that
clearing make-ready packets in a timely manner is crucial for meeting the construction timeline
• T Salerno expressed concerns about the timeline, while B Penney confirmed that the
construction portion is manageable if make ready processes proceed smoothly
• B Penney explained the steps involved in the make-ready process, including applications,
surveys, engineering, and field work
• Most permit applications are in process, with only a few remaining in the design phase
Goals for 2025 – Dave Makar
• As of 11/1/25, we have 487 customers live on the platform (+11 in October)
• Current Estimates:
o 10 more each month of 2025 (November-December)
o 507 total by 12/31/25 (-510 from initial goal)
• Demand is speeding up: 1,565 sign-ups on the online form (644 are not yet in the green zone)
• While the project is behind schedule, we are making progress and hope to complete it by early
2027, which is about 5 years ahead of the original timeline
Construction Status Report – Dave Makar
The MIP project is broken down into phases:
• Project 1: Dryden – MIP-North (Freeville Extension)
• Project 2: Dryden – MIP-South
• Project 3: Caroline – MIP
New Process (the projects will move through various stages from “blue” for not yet started, to “green”
for ongoing work, before reaching “black” for completion):
• Step 1: Provide Design Book to winning bidder for all construction and splicing
• Step 2: Construction Partner builds (constructs)
• Step 3: Construction Partner splices
• Step 4: Construction Partner document changes from the field (As Built)
• Step 5: Engineering Firm updates files as needed (what has been constructed and spliced)
• Step 6: Engineering Firm shares information with installation partners (ready for installations)
Project 1: Steps 1-2 are green (started/on-going) / Step 3 is yellow (delayed)
Team Reports
Customer Base (As of November 1) – Amanda Anderson
There was a continual increase in new customers
The customer decreases are mainly due to people moving (some moving out of town, one moving to
another established Dryden Fiber location)
• D Makar mentioned that we have started to track the customers who have left Dryden Fiber,
which is about two dozen in total over the course of 3 years (tracking what they were paying
each month and why they left)
Financial Reporting (as of October 31) – Amanda Anderson
Customer subscription revenue was $26,360
Town of Caroline’s payment of the management fees revenue was $40,000
Operation expenses were a little more this month, at $27,658, due to starting to pay for insurance
(about $14,000 per year) as well as 3 payroll periods instead of 2
A Anderson had a conversation with Municipal Solutions, who helps manage our borrowings, about
getting documentation ready for our next BAN funding note in January
Dryden Fiber Revenue and Operating Expenses Chart – Amanda Anderson
A Anderson explained that she added a new “trend line” to the chart to help show the average of
revenue and operating expenses
G Dobson inquired about a projection of when we will break even again, to which A Anderson
answered that it will depend on how quickly our revenue goes up, as well as when our monthly
expenses change
Customer Service (as of November 1) – Andrew Hafner
A Hafner reported a standard month with nothing particular to report
D Makar mentioned that feedback on customer service has been very positive
• D Makar and T Salerno attended the Village of Freeville Board Meeting, where they reported
that the take rate in the Village of Freeville is 29% and the take rate in the Village of Dryden is
28%
Installations – Dave Makar
Number of installations completed this month: 11
Number of installations scheduled (as of November 1): 7
Installation blockers:
• Construction pause lead to installation slow down
• MDU work requires substantial information and engineering planning
o Getting enough fiber to the location (having enough fiber to reach 100% of tenants)
o Determining how to get fiber from the property line to the units (mobile homes)
o Determining how to get fiber from the building to the individual units (apartment
buildings)
Sales Operations – MDUs (Mobile Home Parks / Apartments) – Dave Makar
D Makar and B Penney are working with Veronica Voller from Vantage, who is managing the MDUs
We have engineering resources who are going on site to help do the drawing out of the plans
D Makar is working with Scott Brennan from Netegrity to do site visits and discuss technology within
some of these MDUs
We are making progress with George Junior Republic
D Makar, T Salerno, and G Dobson will be meeting with the Director of Technology at TC3 today to see
what their needs are
D Makar will be meeting with the Superintendent of the Dryden Central School District next week to
talk about what Dryden Fiber can provide for them
Marketing / Inbound Requests / Website – Dave Makar
Total Under Contract = 487 (+11 in October)
Total Requests (since 1/1/23) = 1,553 (+98 in October)
Dryden Fiber lawn signs will be delivered to customers who requested them
Construction postcards were sent out to Meadow Drive and Leisure Lane, as well as to Annee Lane
and Walden Lane (the next two places we are doing construction)
G Dobson placed signs at the Etna Post Office
The committee discussed website traffic, which had a significant increase in visits from China and India
(likely scammers), as well as possible solutions to these vulnerabilities
Caroline Groundbreaking – Dave Makar
The videographer will edit the 3-minute video and cut smaller clips for social media posting, and we
have about 30 or 40 photos to use for promotion
• It was a good turnout with the following in attendance:
o Representatives from the governor’s office, Senator Schumer’s office, Assemblyperson
Anna Kelles’ office, and from the ConnectALL office
o Town of Dryden: Executive Director Dave Makar, Town Supervisor Jason Leifer, Deputy
Supervisor Dan Lamb, Cassie Byrnes, and Ray Burger
o Town of Caroline: Town Supervisor Mark Witmer and the Caroline Town Board
o Public Broadband Committee: Tony Salerno and Graham Dobson
• D Makar and C Byrnes will do a roundup of media coverage once they get through the two
weeks of coverage
Engineering Updates – Brad Penney
Electrical Make Ready Update
• With 8 crews in market, they are making good progress
• Concerns:
o NYSEG inadvertently issued a “No More Outages” for the year, which will impact our
ability to get electrical make ready done because there needs to be planned outages
NYSEG has since squashed this concern by stating that there is not a “No More
Outages” mandate, and we can still follow normal outage procedures
With winter weather coming, they will be looking at outage requests with more
scrutiny to make sure they are being handled in as short a window as possible
o There seems to be a shortage with NYSEG of 25 KVA Transformers, which is impacting
our ability to close out certain pole application permits
o We have one permit application that we had to submit a redesign request for due to a
flooded field caused by a beaver dam backup
Construction Update
• Underground construction has commenced in targeted areas
• Aerial and splicing work is being finalized and designs are largely complete
o Will be meeting with Syracuse Utilities on Monday to go over finalized designs and see
where they can start working on aerial fibers, hanging strand, doing anchor work, etc.
Design Update
• Clarity Connect has done a nice job moving through the Light Audit (the data they provided is
exactly what we needed)
Caroline Hut
• Caroline DPW is no longer involved in this project, so we went through an additional bid
process to get the civil work done (site prep, pouring concrete, etc.), and it is nearly complete
• We will have our own separate yard and a Conex in the Town of Caroline to store materials
• We will use the completed hut for storing temperature-controlled items (electronics)
Legal Update – Dave Makar
Construction
• The Empire Access Reciprocal Agreement has been completed
• The Empire Access Overlash Agreement has been sent to Empire Access for review
Operations
• The DigSafe Monitoring Contract, the Dryden-Caroline IMA, the Networking Maintenance and
Repair Agreement, and the Easement for Hillside Drive are all in progress
Discussion Topics – Dave Makar
Map Updates
• The updated map is on the website for review (at the bottom of the page)
o The current map shows yellow, orange, blue, and green parcels
o The updated map shows yellow, orange, blue, green, and purple parcels
• Yellow = Freeville Expansion area that is now bid out (looking to finish around mid-February)
• Orange = Greater Dryden RFP (will be completed by the end of next year)
• Blue = Caroline MIP RFP (will be completed by the end of next year)
• There will be two paths of prioritization
o First = Everything north of Route 13 in orange
o Second = MIP routes that go down to Caroline
• T Salerno noted the improvements and shared feedback from a resident, who was happy to
see the updated map that finally showed their parcel in color, but also wanted to know a little
more detail
o D Makar said that we will learn a lot as we finish the Freeville Expansion (yellow zone)
and as the orange zone gets bid out as one package, and he will work together with
Vantage and the winning construction company to map out the prioritization and
where we roll trucks out to start doing construction
Ciena: Switch/Route and ONU
• On September 4th, we learned that Ciena is moving from Fiber to the Home (FTTH) to AI, so we
will no longer be able to get our ONUs from them (they will maintain what they have in terms
of the network)
o The Freeville PoP is out of ports, which will limit expansion
• The options
o Ciena: Still offering licensing and hardware
o Calix: Widely adopted, available and affordable comparably
We are currently reviewing Calix as a primary provider for our FTTH services,
including Wi-Fi devices, ONU’s, and switches in the PoPs
o AdTran: Also widely adopted, affordable, TBD on availability
• The committee discussed the pricing and installation details for new ONTs and the need for a
switch in the Freeville PoP
o B Penney mentioned that Vantage has been working with both Calix and AdTran to
make accurate comparisons, with Calix appearing to be more cost effective
o D Makar and Vantage will put together a proposal outlining the problem, why Calix is
the best financial fit, and long-term costs including individual ONT costs and remaining
Ciena licensing fees
o The committee discussed proceeding with an RFP process for this significant purchase,
and discussed plans to phase out Ciena equipment in a few years, while maintaining
existing Ciena gear initially
o Goal to get the next phase of RFPs presented to the Town Board on the 13th or the 20th
Plume Wi-Fi Devices
• We have a licensing deal with Plume for their Wi-Fi devices (Plume Pods) and their cloud
services
• 80% of our customer base wants these Plume Pods (some customers need more than 1)
• Plume offers 140 different hardware device options
• Plume Pods are designed for a mesh network, and therefore are best used with 2-4 per house
• Their cloud services rate is low at $.90 per subscriber per month
o Calix’s cloud services rate is no lower than $2.10 per subscriber per month (over twice
as much as Plume), with no features that stand out as being worth the higher rate
• D Makar stated that we are going to order alternative non-Plume Pod devices and put them
out in the field to see the response rate, and potentially allow installation teams to provide
multiple pods per house based on size and location
o Having sufficient pod coverage is important for customer service, as we do not want
customers to have inadequate or weak service
Caroline Groundbreaking Follow-Up
• Caroline Town Supervisor Mark Witmer thanked D Makar and C Byrnes for organizing the
groundbreaking ceremony and making it a successful event
• D Lamb mentioned that good connections were made with state and federal representatives
The next meeting will be on Friday, November 21 and will focus on the budget and finances
The meeting adjourned at 12:15pm
Respectfully submitted,
Cassie Byrnes
Confidential Secretary to the Town Supervisor
DRYDEN FIBER
MONTHLY REPORT
for October 2025
TOWN OF DRYDEN BROADBAND COMMITTEE MEETING on Nov. 7, 2025
And
DRYDEN TOWN BOARD on Oct. 20, 2025
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY –11/7/2025
▪We have 487 paying customers (+11 in October);We had 98 in-bound requests
o Monthly Revenue (October 2025): $26,620
▪We added 0 new parcels,we remain at 1,815 parcels (30.9% of the Town of Dryden)
▪Freeville Extension RFP has been awarded (Sept. 18), work started Oct. 27
o 900+ new parcels; 25+ miles of fiber; 60 business day build plan estimated
▪Empire State Development (ESD) Board approved increase to project: $11.6M of a
$12.6M expansion will be paid by the state (reimbursable)
▪Network Audit is 50%+ complete: Assessment and Documentation of Network
▪Account Management and Inventory Findings:
o 147 inbound records were open / no visible status; working to follow -up close these
o Inventory management had many gaps: we've done a physical inventory and are working to
align what we have with what we need for construction and installs
MIP Scoreboard –November 2025
As of November 1, 2025
Months to go:
5.1
----------
147
(3.4%)
MIP Miles Completed*
258
----------
2,711
(9.5%)
# of Parcels Reached
4
----------
470
(0.9%)
# of Unserved Reached
1
----------
74
(1.4%)
# of Underserved Reached
53
----------
400
(13.3%)
# of MIP Installs
14
--------
30
(47%)
MIP Scoreboard – November 2025
As of November 1, 2025
405
DAYS TO GO
(13 months, 1 weeks)
141.9 miles to build
Municipal Infrastructure Program Grant must be completed by 12/31/26
Goals for 2025
▪As of 11/1/25, we have 487
customers live on the platform
▪Current estimates:
o 10 more each month 2025
(Nov-Dec)
o 507 total by 12/31/25
(510 lower than initial goal)
▪Note:Demand is speeding
up: 1,564 sign-ups on the
online form: 644+ are not yet
in green zone
Month Projected
New
Goal
Totals
Actual
New
Actual
Totals Diff
December 65 240 65 240 0
January 62 302 54 294 -8
February 65 367 42 336 -31
March 65 432 28 364 -6
April 65 497 22 383 -114
May 65 562 22 402 -157
June 65 627 30 432 -195
July 65 692 20 452 -240
August 65 757 +20 472 -285
September 65 822 +8 476 -346
October 65 887 +11 487 -400
November 65 952
December 65 1017
Project Highlights
Project Name:Dryden Fiber Expansion
for Towns of Dryden and Caroline
Applicant and Partner(s):Town of
Dryden dba, Dryden Fiber and Town of
Caroline
Construction Miles (Fiber): 147
Total Locations Served:2,711
ConnectALL Grant Amount: $ 11,641,537.00
Local Contribution: $ 906,321.00
Total Project Investment: $ 12,547,858.00
MIP SUMMARY – 11/7/2025
▪The Municipal Infrastructure Program (MIP) Updates:
o Sept. 18, 2025, 9:30am -Empire State Development (ESD) board met and approved the expansion of our grant from
$8.9M to $11.6M
o October 2025 – TBD Date: October ESD Public Hearing
o October 15, 2025, 2pm -Public Authorities Control Board (PACB) Hearing
o Wait: 3-4 weeks for billable amount of public hearings (< $500)
o November 5 to 12 – Dryden Town Supervisor signs Grant Disbursement Agreement
o Upon GDA receipt, we can sign, and submit our first reimbursement request, which we estimate to be around $2M in
project expenses from June 16, 2024 through August 31, 2025. We expect to receive this payment in early Q1 2026.
▪Caroline Central Office construction begins next week
o Gravel, pad, conduit pipes for utilities
o Bids opened September 5 for construction of Hut at Caroline Town Hall
o Groundbreaking in Caroline slated for October 27, 2025 at 12:30pm (awaiting governor confirmation)
▪Permits and Contractors for Electrical Make Ready Are moving forward
o We've awarded 20 bids for electrical make ready (moving attachments on poles, replacing poles)
o H. Richardson & Sons (HRS) reported on 9.4.25 that they will have 7 crews working on the project at once
Construction Status Report
New Process:
1.Step 1: Design Book to winning bidder for all
construction and splicing
2.Step 2: Construction Partner builds (constructs)
3.Step 3: Construction Partner splices
4.Step 4: Construction Partner documents changes
from the field (As Built)
5.Step 5: Engineering Firm updates files as needed
(final accurate digital representation of what has
been constructed and spliced)
6.Step 6: Engineering Firm shares information with
installation partners (ready for installs)
*Splicing can be subcontracted out if the construction
partner chooses to do so.
Project 1
Dryden-
MIP-North
Project 2
Dryden-
MIP-South
Project 3
Caroline-
MIP-
West
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Deadline: December 31, 2026
Steps and Statuses:
1.Green - Started / On-Going
2.Yellow - Delayed
3.Red - Stopped
4.Blue - Not Yet Started
5.Black - Completed
Team Reports
▪Customer Base – Amanda, Town of Dryden Director of Finance and Personnel
▪Finance – Amanda,Town of Dryden Director of Finance and Personnel
▪Customer Service - Netegrity
▪Sales Operations –
▪Installations – Clarity Connect, Netegrity, Exec. Dir. Dave Makar
▪Inventory Management - Exec. Dir. Dave Makar
▪Marketing – Exec. Dir. Dave Makar
▪Construction Permitting Updates – Vantage
▪Construction Implementation Updates – Vantage
▪Facilities and Grounds - Department of Public Works
▪Network Operations - Netegrity
▪HR, Admin, and Insurance – Dave Makar, Amanda Anderson
▪Legal and Policy – Dave Makar
Customer Base
As of November 1st, 2025 (billing date is 1st of month)
Speed
Number of
Subscriptions
Billed Monthly
Revenue
Net Change
from Prior
month
Average Monthly
Revenue
Residential
Silver ($45)400 Mbps 366 16,470 +10 / - 4
Gold ($75)700 Mbps 60 4,500 4
Platinum ($90)1 Gbps 40 3,600 + 1 / -1
Total Residential Customers 466 24,570 10 52.73
Commerical
Standard ($75)500 Mbps 16 1,200 1
Preferred ($150)1 Gbps 4 600
Enhanced ($250)2 Gbps 1 250
Total Commerical Customers 21 2,050 1 97.62
Total of ALL Customers 487 26,620 54.66
Financial Reporting
as of October 31, 2025
Revenue and Expenses Balance Sheet
Oct-25 2025 to date 2021 to 2024 10/31/2025
Revenue Assets
Customer Subscriptions 26,360.00 215,598.00 62,500.45 Cash -
Grants and ARPA funds 624,614.00 1,278,067.17 Accounts Receivable 905.50
Other Revenue Sources 40,000.00 44,758.48 233,326.49 Grants Receivable - MIP 1,574,168.60
Total 66,360.00 884,970.48 1,340,567.62 Total Assets 1,575,074.10
Expenses
Construction 220,548.72 3,534,513.13 8,710,189.87 Liabilities
Installation 11,274.40 298,908.42 687,482.12 Accounts Payable (est)450,000.00
Operations 27,658.48 238,115.00 306,365.23 BAN 9,460,000.00
Total 259,481.60 4,071,536.55 9,704,037.21 Loan from Town 1,733,695.13
Total Liabilities 11,643,695.13
Customer Service
As of November 1st, 2025 (billing date is 1st of month)
Helpdesk Call Report October 2025
•Bandwidth Complaint (Speed Concerns)
•1
•Billing Related Call
•7
•Downed Drop (Damaged Service Line)
•0
•Email (Calls related to email difficulties)
•0
•No Connectivity
•3
•ONT / Power Cycle (Calls related to the
ONT where unplugging or rebooting
equipment was necessary)
•0
•Other / Unrelated (Calls looking for
unrelated departments or information)
•20
•Outage
•1
•Install Orders / Create Service
•15
•Router Issue
•4
•PC / Laptop Issue
•0
•Sporadic Connection
•4
•Streaming Related Issue
•0
•User Error / Education
•10
•Wireless
•8
Tickets: 73 Customers: 487 June: 83/402 July: 90/402 Aug: 93/451
Sept: 84/476
Ticket / Customer Ratio: 15%June: 21% July: 21% Aug: 21% Sept:
18%
Note:
Install Orders denote an
incoming install scheduling
request – not a completed install
One caller can generate
numerous tickets for a single
issue (i.e. calls in 5x for same
problem)
Support@drydenfiber.com
607-391-3500 (direct support
number)
User Error / Education:
User Error / Education:
Service inquiry (non-green)
Hardware Q's
Range Extenders
Installations
As of November 1, 2025 (billing date is 1st of month)
▪October 2025 Install Summary
o Number of installations completed this month: 11
o Number of installations scheduled (as of November 1st): 7!
o Installation blockers / questions:
▪Construction pause leads to installation slow down (early adopters propel growth)
▪MDU work requires substantial information and engineering planning:
▪Getting enough fiber to the location (having enough fiber to reach 100% of tenants)
▪Determining how to get fiber from the property line to the units (mobile homes)
▪Determining how to get fiber from the building to the individual units (apartment buildings)
Sales Operations – MDUs – Mobile Home Parks -As of: November 1, 2025
Current
Task
Owner
MDU Name
And Zone (Green,
Yellow, Orange:
Could be)
Initial
Property
Owner
Outreach
Property
Owner
Paperwork
signed
Engineering
Design
Complete
Eng. Plan
approved by
property
owner
Construction
Scheduled
Construction
Completed
Residents
Notified
Unit
Count
Notes
Dryden
Fiber /
Mktg
Ithaca Estates Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 14 / 74 Needs additional
marketing (signage, door
hangers)
Dave Shady Grove
MHP (Pinckney)
Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 1 / 17 We have asked them to
sign the property owner
paperwork
Dave Mott Road Mobile
Home Park
Yes Yes Yes No No No No 24 Reggie sent diagrams
and we need engineering
Brad /
VPS
Fall Creek Parke
(Etna)
Yes Yes DRAFTING No No No No 38 Karel Westerling's
property; poles needed
Brad /
VPS
Little Creek MHP
(North Road)
Yes Yes;
however new
signature
needed
No No No No No 100 Poles likely needed
Dave County Acres MHP
(McLean); Vista
Management (Fall
Creek Rd./Rt. 366)
Yes No No No No No No 102 Poles potentially
needed but there are no
poles on site at this
time
Dave Pleasant View
(Southworth Rd.)
No No No No No No No 50 Poles potentially
needed again no poles
on site atb this time
Dave Country Manor
Estates (Wood Rd.)
Yes No No No No No No 14 Karel Westerling's
property; Unknown need;
yellow zone
Dave Hanshaw Village
(Hanshaw Road)
Yes No; needs
engineering
review first
No No No No No 149 This is now owned by the
same group as Little
Creek and they want to
see a plan before signing
Brad /
VPS
Cook Street
(Freeville)
Yes No No No No No No 12+Poles potentially needed
Dave Hillside Acres*Yes No No No No No No 150+*Low priority, due to not
likely to be built to until
2027 (Poles potentially
needed)
Sales Operations – MDUs – Apartments -As of: November 1, 2025
Current
Task
Owner
MDU Name Initial
Property
Owner
Outreach
Property
Owner
Paperwork
signed
Engineering
Design
Complete
Eng. Plan
approved
by property
owner
Construction
Scheduled
Construction
Completed
Residents
Notified
Unit
Count
Notes
Brad / VPS 1062 Dryden Rd.
Apts. (Varna)
Yes No Yes Meeting
Scheduled
No No No 21 VPS to make plan
Owner: Wawak
Brad / VPS 12-14-16 Lake
Street (Dryden
Village)
Yes No Drafting No No No No 20 VPS to make plan
Brad / VPS Willow Brook
Apartments
Yes No No No No No No 50 VPS to make plan
Brad / VPS Dryden Village 4
Corners
( Some )No No No No No No 35+Splitting into 9 projects
Dave 194 Lower
Creek Road
(Apartments)
Yes No No No No No No 28 Tim Foote, lives at 190
Lower Creek Road
Not yet in green
Dave Creekwood
Apartments at
200 Lower
Creek Rd.
No No No No No No No 20-40 Not yet in green
Dave Freeville
Cottages
Yes No No No No No No 12 Main Street Freeville;
owned by Bruno Schickel
In Green zone
Brad / VPS George Junior
Republic
Yes N/A (no
tenants)
Yes No No No No 1 Requested service July
2024
Dave 1279 Dryden
Road (Wawak)
607.533.8888
Yes No No, TBD N/A No No No No 18 New Construction, need
to design to utility room
and to apartments
Dave 1 Etna Lane Yes No No No No No No 8+Owner is Mark Golfarb
and he would like to meet
to discuss a plan
Marketing: Inbound Requests; Website
As of November 1st, 2025 (billing date is 1st of month)
9/1/23 6/1/24 9/1/24 12/1/24 3/1/25 6/1/25 7/1/25 8/1/25 9/1/25 10/1/25 11/1/25
Total Under
Contract
22 44 (+12)
Mar-
May
91 (+47)
Jun-Aug
180 (+89)
Sept.-
Nov.
336
(+156)
Dec.-
Feb.
402
(+22,-3)
May
432
(+30)
June
452
(+20)
July
472
(+20)
August
476
(+8)
Sept
487
(+11)
October
Requests
(since 1/1/23)
174
(+11)
429
(+66)
638
(+209)
875
(+237)
1217
(+332)
1314
(+22)
1345
(+31)
1395
(+50)
1430
(+35)
1455
(+23)
1553
(+98)
Available 38 87 172 (+85)292 (+120)425
(+133)
500 (+17)517 (+17)535 (+18)563
(+28)
574
(+11)
595
(+21)
Not Available 136 342 466 579 792 815 828 860*550*567*644*
Serviceable Live 76.3%51%
(44/87)
53%
(91/172)
62%
(180/292)
79%
336 / 425
80%
402/500
83.5%
432/517
84.4%
452/535
83.8%
472/563
83%
476/574
82%
487/595
Website Visits 8/25-9/7 5/1-5/31 8/1-31 9/1-30 Feb. '25 May '25 June '25 July '25 Aug. '25 Sep. '25 Oct. '25
Users 226 516 661 713 866 503 579 1.1K 494 538 1.4K
New Users 211 471 567 619 760 418 498 1.1K 418 464 1.3K
Sessions 324 739 1104 1110 1323 884 959 1,497 837 902 1,859
Engagement
(secs.)
0m 46s 58 s 1m 13s 1m 10s 1m 14s 1m 30s 1m 10s 3m 27s 1m 31s 1m 01s 42s
Caroline Groundbreaking
Re: Groundbreaking Ceremony for Dryden Fiber Expansion in the Town of Caroline
On behalf of the Dryden Fiber project and our expansion to the town of Caroline, we are excited to invite you to our
groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, October 27, 2025 at 12:30pm at the Caroline Town Hall (2670 Slaterville Rd.,
Slaterville Springs, NY).
We cordially invite you to join us as we break ground on the next phase of community -owned broadband in our region. This
historic event marks a milestone in bringing reliable, affordable, high -speed internet access to more of our neighbors.
Event Details
▪Date: Monday, October 27, 2025
▪Time: 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
▪Location: Caroline Town Hall, 2670 Slaterville Rd, Slaterville Springs, NY 14881
▪Dress Code: Business casual / outdoor-appropriate attire (event will be held outdoors on a construction site; sturdy
shoes recommended).
▪Format: Standing event with limited seating available for dignitaries and guests requiring accommodation.
Video and Photography Shared
Tompkins County
Caroline Groundbreaking Tiger Team
Team: Dave Makar, Mark
Witmer,Cassie Byrnes
Guest Speakers:
▪Execute director Dave Makar
▪Town supervisor Jason Leifer
▪Town supervisor Mark Witmer
▪Rose Olsen, Governor Kathy Hochul's
regional representative
Name Organization
Governor Kathy Hochul*New York State
Chuck Schumer*US Senate
Anna Kelles*NY State Assembly
Josh Breitbart*Connect All Office / ESD
Dryden Town Board
Town of Dryden
Dan Lamb, Ray Burger, Cassie
Byrnes
Caroline Town Board
Town of Caroline
Tim Murray
Kate Kelley-Mackenzie
Michelle Brown
Jonathan Bates
Dryden Broadband Committee
Town of Dryden
Tony Salerno
Graham Dobson
Marketing
As of August 1st, 2025
▪We want to hyper engage our customer base via an email blast, we now have 472+ customers
and potentially 1300 more (in the green zone)
▪Topics:
o Sign-up for Automatic Billing
▪Goal <1% with non-autopay
o “Refer a neighbor and both of you get $25 off your next bill.”
▪Goal: Tap into the 1300+ locations in the green zone
o Post a sign in your yard
▪Goal: Tap into the 1300+ locations in the green zone
o Remind Customers about 24/7/365 Customer Service
▪Goal: Make sure 100% of our customer base is happy and able to use the service as they desire
▪Goal: "Are you 100% happy with every aspect of your Dryden Fiber experience?"
▪We have the best customer service for internet service providers in Dryden
▪Please make use of our customer support team for all things Dryden Fiber related
▪Sent: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Marketing
As of August 1st, 2025
▪Request 2: Refer a friend
o “Refer a neighbor and both of you get $25 off your next bill.”
▪If they sign-up and enter your name in the request service form; and get installed
by December 31: we'll give you a $25 credit off your next bill for each person who
signs up and mentions your name
▪New customers can only attribute referral to a single existing customer
▪New customer requests only (within the 9.5.25 service areas)
o Update to Request Service form during campaign (ending 12/31/25)
o Update first invoice process to give credits when a name in the "referral name"
matches an existing customer during setup between 9/15 and 12/31/25
Marketing
As of August 1st, 2025
▪Request 1:Sign-up for Automatic Billing: Goal <1% with non -autopay
o 5.7% (27 customers) do not have automatic billing setup (through our portal)
o Why we recommend autopay:
▪Operational Efficiency: less manual work with opening, logging, depositing checks; fewer errors;
reliability outside of USPS
▪Financially: predictable cash flow; reduced late payments (and collections); lower fees (bounced
checks)
▪Customer Benefits: Convenience (no need to remember due dates, stamps, trips to mailbox);peace
of mind (no accidental missing of payments);Digital records (easier to track online)
▪Strategic Value for Dryden Fiber: modern, digital first, scalability (5,000 customer goal), free staff time
▪“Sign up for autopay and be entered into a drawing for a free month of service.”
▪New and existing customers are included
▪Setup autopay by October 20th
▪Goal: Increase automatic billing to 99%+
Engineering Updates
▪Electric Make Ready Update
▪Outage Concerns
▪25 KVA Transformers
▪Construction Update
▪UG Construction Commenced
▪Aerial / Splicing Work Update
▪Design Update
▪Light Audit -> Clarity Connect
▪Caroline Hut
▪Civil Bids
▪MDU Project Update
HR, Admin, and Insurance
November 2025
▪Insurance
▪Insurance policy has been ordered! The coverage will include coverage for property, inventory, cyber security for
specific ISP risks, umbrella, and flood insurance. Many of thises coverages are required for the MIP grant
agreement.
Human Resources
▪Amanda and Dave are starting to work on a new job description for an account manager position. The Account
Manager will be the primary relationship builder between Dryden Fiber and our residential, business, and
institutional customers. This role combines customer engagement, sales, and community outreach to drive
adoption of our services, strengthen customer satisfaction, and ensure Dryden Fiber continues to deliver
measurable value to the Town of Dryden and surrounding communities.
▪Drafting Subcontractor Role for Sales Rep based on last month's job activities and compensation
Legal Update – October 2025
o Construction
▪Contract Bid Document for Major Projects pieces (from Vantage) -70 page document – Approved for
use
▪Master Service Agreement (MSA) with an electrical make ready (EMR) provider – Approved by Town
Board
▪This will make it possible to use them for any and all future EMR bids they win
▪Auditors for MIP Project financials – Approved by Town Board (Aug. '25)
▪Caroline Hut Construction Bid – Bid awarded, approved by town board (Sept. 11, '25)
▪Audit of Network Bid Process and Contract – Approved by Town Board (Sep. '25)
▪Empire Access Overlash Agreement (6 miles of fiber) – Ready for Empire Access
▪Empire Access Reciprocal Agreement (EMR moves) – Exec. Dir. Reviewing
Operations
▪DigSafe Monitoring Contract and TBD on bid requirements – with Vendor
▪Point Broadband IRU (Indefeasible Rights of Use) - 10 year lease – Approved by Town Board (Aug. '25)
▪Dryden – Caroline IMA (Intermunicipal Agreement) for project – Exec. Dir. Drafting Edits
▪Networking Maintenance and Repair Agreement and Bid Process – with Broadband Attorney
▪Easement for Hillside Drive connecting Ringwood to Phantom Drive – with Property Owner
Discussion Topics
October 2025
▪Map Updates
▪We have an updated map for review for the website
▪Signs
▪Ciena, Calix, and AdTran
▪Ciena is moving from FTTH to AI
▪Calix has a proposal
▪Stronger single unit WiFi devices, Focus on FTTH improvements. Widely Accepted
▪AdTran – We have hardware pricing, waiting on services pricing
▪Plume and Calix
▪Single Plume Pods are "ok", but meant for mesh networks
▪Plume has 140 other devices that work with their cloud services
Discussion Topics
New Map - November 2025
▪https://www.drydenfiber.com/dryden-fiber-service-areas
Discussion Topics
New Signs - November 2025
Sales Activation / Call-to-Action
Used where service is newly available or expanding:
▪“Now Available on Your Road!”
▪“Fiber Internet Now in Your Neighborhood!”
▪“Construction Complete — Sign Up Today!”
▪“Fast. Local. Live.”
Customer / Social Proof
▪Used at homes or businesses already connected:
▪“Another Happy Customer of Dryden Fiber”
▪“Proudly Powered by Dryden Fiber”
▪“Connected to Community-Owned Fiber”
▪“This Home Runs on Dryden Fiber”
▪“Locally Owned. Locally Connected.”
Community / Awareness
▪“Brought to You by the Town of Dryden”
▪“Your Community-Owned Internet Provider”
▪“Built for Dryden, by Dryden”
▪“Keeping Our Community Connected”
▪“Publicly Owned. Locally Controlled.”
Discussion Topics
Ciena: Switch/Route and ONU - November 2025
On September 4, fiber industry news publication Fierce Network published the following article about the
change in direction of Ciena from broadband to AI. This is a substantial change in the direction
of Ciena and is all the more reason to make a change. We are currently reviewing Calix as a primary
provider for our fiber to the home (FTTH) services, including wifi devices, ONUs, and switches in the
POPs.
The Problems:
▪Ciena is moving away from the FTTH networking
▪The Freeville POP is out of ports, which will limit expansion (splicing new build into network)
The Options:
▪Ciena, still offering licensing and hardware
▪Calix,widely adopted, available and affordable comparably
▪AdTran, Also widely adopted,affordable, TBD on availability
d
Discussion Topics
Calix
Discussion Topics
Calix
Discussion Topics
Calix
Discussion Topics
Calix v. Adtran
Discussion Topics
Plume Wifi Devices - November 2025
We use Plume for included WiFi
▪We have a licensing deal
▪We use Plume Pods
▪Here's what we've learned
o 140 options
o Mesh network
o Cloud services rate ($.90)
▪Testing to Come with alternative devices
APPENDIX A
Meeting Schedule
▪Dryden Fiber Public Broadband Committee – Public reporting on project
o 1st and 3rd Friday morning, 10:30am-11:30am (except July and August, 2nd and 4th
Friday morning)
▪Dryden Fiber Operations Team Meeting – Construction and Install Collaboration
o Every other Wednesday, 10am-11:15am
▪Dryden Fiber MIP Status Call – Meet with Connect All Office to stay on track
o Every Tuesday, 1pm-1:45pm
▪Dryden Fiber MIP Steering Committee – Implementation of the Grant
o Monthly (Town of Dryden, Town of Caroline)
▪Dryden Fiber Policy Committee – Advise and Recommend on Policy
o Monthly
Financial Reporting
Review of Construction Costs from beginning of project
Subcontractors (Syr. Util., Lghtspd, etc.), 50%Equipment Purchases, 28%
Professional Fees (Leg.,
Eng., etc.), 13%
Permit and Pole
Applications, 5%
Loan
interest,
2%
Misc
Constru
ction
Exp, 1%
Construction Costs 1/1/21 to 12/31/24
Subcontractors (Syr. Util., Lghtspd, etc.)
Equipment Purchases
Professional Fees (Leg., Eng., etc.)
Permit and Pole Applications
Loan interest
Misc Construction Exp
Permitting Steps
1.Final Design Edits = Survey has occurred and Prelim in is design edits
2.Prelim Sent = Sent to Engineering Firm (VPS) to review/approve and then to NYSEG/Frontier to review
3.Final NYSEG Design Sent = NYSEG reviewing final design before sending the Final Make Ready Package
4.Telco Recon = Telco Review prelim design
5.Frontier Billing Outstanding = Frontier awaiting payment to proceed
6.RFB = Request for Bid sent to contractors
7.MR Construction = Make Ready Contruction - Moves are in progress
Other Statuses (from slide 8):
▪Attached – definition...
▪Elec make-ready in process – definition...
▪Telco make-ready in process – definition...
▪Final ELEC Design Input – definition...
▪Avant Grid is NYSEG
Permitting Map Colors
1.Green = Conditional license to attach
2.Yellow = non-billable quote approved, quotes back from electrician sub-
contractors (i.e. HRS, Davella), when NYSEG gives ok, this moves to Green
3.Red = Design submitted to joint pole owner
4.Orange = make ready work package approved, heading to bid
5.Pink = out for make ready construction
6.Purple = design input (LaBella)