FRONTIER CHANGE: The Frontier Communications repair center in Charleston will become an around-the-clock operation to serve the company's West Virginia customers.
Dana Waldo, senior vice president and general manager for West Virginia, said the company has reorganized work responsibilities to expand the center's hours.
West Virginia repair associates historically have worked seven days a week, but the center has been closed from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. During those hours, West Virginia repair service calls were routed to New York.
The change is scheduled to go into effect today and involves about 40 repair associates in the Charleston center.
CONNECTING: The Connecting Appalachia project heads into the construction phase in earnest now, with Chillicothe-based Horizon Communications beginning to install the first fiber optic lines in Logan during the past week.
The project aims to provide high-capacity, fiber-optic broadband services with 10 gigabit-per-second service to 34 counties in Ohio, including Jefferson. The project was made possible through a $66.4 million grant funded through federal stimulus funds. Horizon is providing 30 percent of the project money, bringing the total cost of the network to $94.9 million.
The network will connect health care facilities, community colleges, universities, elementary and secondary schools, county public safety points and industrial parks to high-speed infrastructure.
Progress Alliance reports Jefferson County should begin to see activity in the network construction during 2012.
TOURISM REBOUND: The Ohio Department of Development's Tourism Division has reported the state's tourism economy grew by 7 percent during 2010, generating $38 billion in total sales. That was up by $2 billion from 2009, according to the division's research.
Amir Eylon, state tourism director, said, "About one in every 11 jobs, or 8.7 percent of Ohio's jobs in 2010 were sustained by Ohio's tourism industry."
The tourism spending generated $2.6 billion in taxes in the state.
