Kingfisher County commissioners voted approval for a letter of endorsement for a BEAD grant for Resound Networks to provide high speed internet service to rural Oklahoma, including Kingfisher County, Monday at their weekly meeting.

The commission tabled action on the matter at the preceding week’s meeting to obtain additional information.

BEAD is an acronym for Broadband Equity Access and Development program.

Alecia Shannon, external affairs director for Resound Networks, attended the meeting, explaining that the county’s approval for the grant – $17.9 million of a $797.4 million federal grant – would speed up the process of expanding high-speed internet service to rural Oklahoma.

She reported a similar endorsement had been approved by Northern Oklahoma Development Authority (NODA) of which Kingfisher County is a member.

Shannon promised to keep the county informed on the project as it develops.

In other action, the commission approved state reimbursements for the district attorney and election board offices for the month of April, county road permits for pipeline crossings in Districts 1 and 3, and declaration as surplus of two tractors and two rotary mowers for District 2. The tractors and mowers will be used as trade-ins on new equipment.

The District 1 pipeline crossings include one for a 12-inch flat line for Howard Drilling Enterprises located seven miles east and one mile north of Kingfisher and another for oil-gas drilling company MPLXIF LLC located three miles east of Kingfisher alongside S.H. 33.

The District 3 permits are for Ovintiv Energy – all for 12-inch lay flat lines located in an area two to five miles south and two miles west of Loyal.

District 3 Commissioner Anthony Schwarz re-ported he would attend the Wheatheart Nutrition board of directors meeting Thursday in Blackwell during remasrks under the “commissioners’ comments and announcements” portion of the agenda.

All Commissioners – Schwarz, chairman; Jeff Moss, District 1, vice-chairman, and Mike Sparks, District 2 – were present for the meeting, along with County Clerk Emily Lee as official minute clerk, County Engineer Nik Smith, Sheriff Aaron Pitts, and citizen guest Kelly Buck.