Decorah Plans Spiral Fiber Expansion Pattern, City Manager Quotes Approximate Residential Pricing

Your contribution today guarantees Decorah News is asking the questions tomorrow. Act now. DECORAH — City Manager Travis Goedken is urging residents to respond to survey mailings as part of the ongoing rollout of a municipal fiber-to-the-home network, saying the information is critical to completing construction efficiently across the city. In a report to the city council, Goedken said crews are continuing to build out the fiber system and have begun sending multiple rounds of notices, including letters, postcards and door hangers to households in active construction zones to residents in the Flats. The outreach is not a sales effort, Goedken emphasized, but a necessary step to guide installation forward, "It is not to solicit for fiber yet," Goedken said, noting that responses help determine conditions such as whether a home has a finished basement and which side of the house service should be installed. Even residents who do not plan to subscribe are being asked to participate, because construction will still extend service infrastructure to their property. The city's residential fiber service was cited at about $59.95 per month during the report, "Even if you have no intentions of bringing on the city's fiber, which I find, at $59.95, you'd be crazy not to, the construction is going to happen to the house, and we just want to make sure it's done on the side that makes sense for your basement." The project is being rolled out in phases, with construction progressing through designated zones. Goedken said the next round of mailings has already gone out to a new area southeast of the Flats neighborhood, "The plan is that the buildout will be kind of in a 'spiral pattern' that will circulate around downtown," Goedken explained. Goedken also indicated the city is intentionally delaying work in downtown Decorah until after Nordic Fest to avoid compounding seasonal congestion and current ongoing construction impacts. Be the first to know! Sign up for the free newsletter and unlock exclusive updates, breaking news, and tips from around the community.