Proposed Gilbert Station Project 


Comcast Coax/FiberOptic Line


Foxwood Drive RR Tracks
 Why Fiber? Why Comcast?

▪ Satellite connection can reach 10+ Mbps

▪ DSL speeds can reach around 15 Mbps
▪ Cable connection can reach 25+ Mbps
 1st Estimated Costs/Materials

▪ 1.3 miles underground cable to go from Foxwood

Drive, down Gilbert Station until the train tracks
▪ Community Contribution = $51,600
 Why Neighborhood Contributions?

▪ Comcast ROI (Return On Invest)

40 homes/1 mile underground cable

▪ To reach from Foxwood Drive to Railroad tracks, 1.3

miles of line
Comcast ROI = ~30 homes
 Dollars and Cents Breakdown
Total Project Cost - $51,600
Assuming 100% community participation - $1720 per home
Cost Per Home
$60000.00

$51,600

$45000.00
Cost

$30000.00

$15000.00
$10,320
$5,160
$2,064 $2,580 $3,440
$1,720
$0.00
30 25 20 15 10 5 1
Number of Homes
 Because I’ve been asked …
▪ Neighborhood contribution is voluntary
▪ This is a contribution – not a loan
▪ Contribution is a transaction between us and Comcast
alone
▪ Comcast is the sole owner of the line and is responsible for
all maintenance and repairs
▪ No, you don’t have to sign up for service. Yes, you still need
to pay for service. No, you won’t get a discount – just
regular Charlottesville Comcast rates.
 Who is Included?
▪ All Houses along Gilbert Station Road (including the new
construction)
▪ 3515 Creels Mill Road
Wait a minute…
 What About the Other Guys?
▪ Five Forks Lane (all houses)
▪ 3575 Creels Mill Lane

Addition of these homes will drive cost of the whole project

up to $96,540 (almost double)

- Additional 6650’ of underground cable

- Making per home contribution - $2839.41

$1720.00 < $2839.41

 Collection of Community Funds

▪ Crowdsourcing (i.e. GoFundMe, KickStarter)

▪ Individual Checks/Direct Pay to Comcast

▪ Individual Checks/Direct Pay to Gilbert Station LLC (Requires creation of

new Limited Liability Company)

▪ Good Old Fashioned - Trust Your Neighbor

 Pros & Cons

Crowdsourcing

▪ Expensive!
▪ GoFundMe will deduct a 5% fee from each of
donations, and charge a 2.9% + $0.30 fee for each
payment request.
▪ Easy to create draws
▪ Low liability attached to funds
▪ All funds must be in place before construction
 Pros & Cons

Direct Pay to Gilbert Station LLC


▪ Gilbert Station LLC controls funds/draws

▪ No legal fees to homeowners
▪ If a homeowner check bounces, we still owe the final
balance
▪ All funds ($51,600) must be in place before
construction
 Pros & Cons

Limited Liability Company

▪ Purpose of an LLC is to provide liability protection for the members

▪ Generates an EIN (Federal Employer Identification Number) to create
Escrow account
▪ Will incur legal fees
▪ $3000-$5000 to create LLC/operating agreement
▪ Homeowners/Members control financial draws to Comcast
▪ All funds must be collected before first draw
▪ Potentially time consuming
▪ All members would know all contribution information
 LLC, Operating Agreement


▪ An operating agreement is a key document used by LLCs to

outline the financial and functional decisions including rules,
regulations and provisions. Its purpose is to govern the internal
operations in a way that suits the specific needs of the members.
▪ All members are equal
▪ Goal/purpose
▪ All members’ information (i.e.: homeowner names, addresses,
contributing amount) available to all members.
▪ End date (??/??/????) and what to do with leftover funds (%
redistributed based on contribution)
(can request a more defined contract from Comcast ~$5K)
 Pros & Cons

Trust Your Neighbor - Direct Pay to Comcast


▪ Comcast controls funds – less control for the

homeowners
▪ No legal fees to homeowners
▪ If a homeowner check bounces, we still owe the final
balance
▪ Half of funds ($25,800) must be in place before
construction the latter half is due upon completion (verify)
 Details Details and more Details
▪ Comcast offer is good for ~90 days
▪ Any future attempts for similar project will increase project cost
▪ Labor
▪ Materials

▪ Anticipated completion ??//??/????

✓ Weather
✓ VDOT moratoriums

▪ 2 draws requested – start/now and completion