It is time to examine what all the fuss is about….concerning the management of our 30 million dollar Utility Business.   What has changed that has NOW caused our 5 member Service Utility Board to be questioned concerning their management and business qualifications?  

After  several fairly smooth years WHY do we now find cries of concern  by the Chamber of Commerce, the PIP board, the Frankfort Times and ….. your community radio station.   We believe we can identify the culprit!
        
NOW 6.5 % of the 30 million dollar enterprise is 21st century oriented and  competitive!   The USB must NOW GRAPPLE with  different factors that the Utility                    Service   Board never had to manage before.    With that Fiber Optic/Data Center utility  investment  WE HAVE CHANGED THE BALL GAME!      

Like it or not…..The Frankfort owned utility  NOW has a two million dollar ‘start-up utility component’ that is a different bread of cat.  

I salute Mike Mills and Joe Root….they were thinking outside the box and had the vision and courage to invest the Frankfort Utilities in a two million dollar, cutting edge, 21st century ‘high tech’ utility component. They were visionaries!   Because of them  Frankfort is  now  in a position of envy by many people in our state.              

I fault Mike and Joe for not realizing they needed to work with the Frankfort Leaders, Frankfort Times, Community Radio WILO to advance the awareness and possibilities of their Fiber Optics/Data Bridge project.  

They allowed ‘others’ to define the Fiber Bridge/Data Center, as ‘Broad Band’.  This was a mistake of enormous proportions.   Now we have many misconceptions as well as a ‘lack of trust’. This must be corrected.     

93.5 % of our Utility Business investment is  low tech 20TH Century sewer, water, electricity, or waste water etc…….6 ½ % is NEW 21st Century ‘high tech’, it is  ‘start        up’, it is  often misunderstood, and it is subjected to competitive factors that deals with outside big businesses!    IT IS A NEW BREED OF CAT!   We are   not used to managing that new ‘cat’!  ‘New’ upsets the status quo! As humans, we are not comfortable adjusting to change.  

Until now our politically appointed Frankfort Utility Service Board members have not been required to grapple with  a 21st century enterprise subject to …… outside competitive forces, technical start-up technology and dealing with big business entries.   

Until now the USB members were not concerned with outside forces when it comes to  Frankfort sewer,  water,  waste water and electric.  Now we must manage a 21st Century $2,000,000 competitive  enterprise using new technology.  This takes a different skill sets!  

Probably we would agree that Frankfort can not be called a high tech or high risk community.  Until now our Mayors and City Council Members have not been challenged                  to appoint qualified USB members that possess knowledge of making ‘million dollar competitive business decision plus….a working familiarity and comprehension of 21st Century high technology.

Out of the blue a couple of people on a former USB board had the vision to better serve Frankfort with a new fresh 21st century utility called Fiber Optics Bridge and an $850,000  first class Data Center facility.  Great idea …  but ….Frankfort was not prepared to embrace and facilitate the concept of 21th century technology  Our City         Fathers and others did not realize that this was a ‘GAME CHANGER’  We were caught off guard,  I was among them.  

Many in our community still do not realize that Frankfort has a Fiber Optics Bridge and Data Center enterprise that is the envy of Indiana.   There is no stopping technical advancement any more than we can un-invent electricity.  Our task now is to play ‘catch up’ and move forward to benefit Frankfort, Indiana.  It is a real opportunity.  We  can advance Frankfort into 21st Century technology, facilitate healthy growth and in the process make ‘bucks’ for the Gem City.   But it is a challenge! 

I firmly believe we are making great progress. Far too slowly….but we are on the right track.  Good things are happening.  I can see them.  They are within our grasp!  

Our Frankfort school system’s $82,739.60 contract that furnishes needed educational services is now bearing fruit.  A $5,701.10  check…drawn on the Star Financial Bank  is now in the hands of  the Frankfort USB.   An additional  $2,201.10 check will arrive shortly. Then another and another will arrive each month for 34 months.    

We must begin to realize that these checks will come from strange banks we have never heard of before.   That is the nature of the system!   But the checks will cash! Much more compensation is ours, from other sources,  but we must manage correctly.   Many more 21st Century services can be provided for Frankfort growth!  

I have watched the Frankfort’ Utility situation closely since 1960.  I fought hard to keep our money making electricity utility, city owned, when we did not know how to run our electric distribution system and there were cries to … sell it! 

My son and my efforts obtained a 50,000 watt FM radio station that serves 14 Indiana counties.  It flies  the flag of Frankfort, Indiana.  Our additional  transmitter in Zionsville flies the flag of Frankfort.  Russell and I have much invested in our great community. I have a wonderful wife who is buried  here.  We care about our            community!

As an ex-utility company executive, a high tech businessman, a graduate and practicing engineer this Frankfort media owner first applied for the Frankfort’s cable franchise. It is now owned by Comcast.  

I clearly and definitely see great things ahead for the Frankfort Fiber Bridge/Data Center  facility and the Frankfort community in general.  We are working through many of our problems, but much to slowly.  Progress is being made. This is the 21st Century and we must grapple with change.  We can do this….and in so doing make Frankfort, Indiana a better place!      

Let’s be careful…….let’s realize our 21st Century opportunity is a GAME CHANGER………..and gear up to it!   

Let us not blow it!   

Vern Kaspar    Tuesday,  September 2, 2008