Federal grant money is funding a major fiber‑to‑the‑area installation around Joyce, presenters told the Crescent Community Advisory Council on Sept. 3, a project that will install new poles, underground conduit and stretches of overhead fiber. County and local utility representatives said Astound is the lead contractor and will be the primary retail provider where the grant deploys.

Connie Beaufay, who represents Crescent Water and the port, described fieldwork this summer to protect water lines while crews bored conduit and set poles. “Buzz, my assistant manager, was babysitting two different boring companies at different places to make sure they didn't hit our water lines,” she said.

County and utility speakers said portions of the build will occur inside utility easements and that electrical and water easements limit how far utilities can clear vegetation beyond the easement edge. Speakers warned that where Astound holds the grant and the related contracts, other ISPs may not be able to use the newly installed infrastructure for some time. “There's gonna be only one fiber provider coming out there,” a local provider said during the meeting; “if you want it, you have to get it from Astound.”

Officials said the project will also require new poles because many existing poles are not tall enough to maintain separation from power lines; the PUD will receive about 350 new poles in the area under the grant, a presenter said. County staff and Crescent Water staff said some water facilities will remain on CenturyLink connections if the new build does not extend to those specific sites.

Why it matters: residents and small utilities were concerned about potential single‑provider lock‑in, the need to protect buried water infrastructure during construction, and how conduit routing and pole placement would affect easement vegetation management and future access.

Next steps and mitigation: presenters said Astound’s contractor crews are in the field and that the PUD and Crescent Water are coordinating to mark and protect buried lines. County staff advised residents and utilities to track where conduit is placed and to ask questions about service options and long‑term access. No formal county action or vote was reported at the meeting.