Better options for Internet connection a possibility at Castle

The Merced County Board of Supervisors has chosen a Fresno-based telecom consortium for early-stage work to improve Internet service at the Castle Commerce Center in Atwater.

The Central Valley Independent Network was granted a permit Tuesday to build a pathway for new fiber-optic infrastructure at the former Air Force base.

Improving Internet service is seen as essential to effectively develop the burgeoning business park. Brent Jerner, who purchased land at Castle Commerce Center last year for his company, APG Solar, was pleased initially with the county’s accommodations. After completing a new building at the site in May, Jerner’s only complaint was how complicated it was to install Internet service.

The new construction will support CVIN’s plan to install the infrastructure at the site, said Mark Hendrickson, the county’s director for community and economic development.

“The county is very hopeful that projects like these ... will provide more tenants and businesses with a menu of telecommunication options,” Hendrickson said.

With Merced County’s location convenient to Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, airports, harbors, highways and rail lines, the supervisors see the former air base, which closed as a military site in 1995, as key to the region’s economic development. Google leases space at the center, and Argentina-based Bravo Motor Co. is considering leasing the facility’s largest vacant spot.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Better options for Internet connection a possibility at Castle."