Kettleman City broadband kickoff, public-safety day draws hundreds; AT&T donates to firefighter association

Captain John Wilson of Kings County Fire briefed the board on last week’s Kettleman City public-safety event and a concurrent AT&T broadband groundbreaking. Wilson said AT&T coordinated the ribbon-cutting and donated $1,500 to the Kings County Firefighter Association; that money will fund public outreach and education.

Wilson estimated attendance between 250 and 300 residents, with periods the crowd exceeded 400. He reported approximately 286 county staff-hours devoted to the event and described the event as incident-free. Public-health partners administered 78 flu vaccines. At a car-seat-check station, technicians inspected seven seats and found all seven were being misused; new installations or corrections were completed for those vehicles.

Several supervisors noted the broadband work underway in Kettleman City. Supervisors said last-mile work is beginning; funding includes a Public Utilities Commission grant with matching contributions from AT&T and plans to subsidize hookup costs for underprivileged residents. Supervisors and staff described the broadband project as a multi-year effort that will connect neighborhoods once final-mile and intermediate segments are complete.

Wilson thanked county departments and community partners, naming American Ambulance (standby), Sit Right CPS (car-seat technicians), Tachi (food donation), Waste Management, Delaney Farms, Mid Valley Disposal and the Kings County Firefighter Association for contributions and in-kind support. He also thanked county staff who assisted with logistics and cooking.